Health And Fitness Tips For Dummies

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Table Of Contents

Introduction: Let’s Get Started It’s Not Just The Gym Why You Should Strength Train Develop A Nutritional Strategy: Know What To Eat And When To Eat It Total Body Relaxation For Optimal Health Gains

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Introduction Getting healthy and fit doesn’t have to be the hardest thing you’ve ever done, it really doesn’t. In fact, fitness should be kept simple, and the model to go by should be: “KISS —Keep it seriously simple,” or as others like to put it: “KISS—Keep it simple stupid,” though that appears to come across as rather harsh. So, congratulations! If you’re reading this then you must seriously be committed to changing your life, and you must have reached the decision to start integrating healthier habits. Just know, any form of exercise or physical activity every other day is going to make you feel better!

Your exercise options are extremely numerous, preventing an individual from claiming boredom. The only way you can run out of choices for physical activity is by limiting oneself! If anything, you should engage in activities that continue to challenge you, even when you first begin an exercise program! Now, the American College of Sports Medicine is very informative for those starting out, and even for those who are more familiar with the benefits of fitness and health. If you didn’t know, according to many health and fitness professionals—exercise is your key to youth and long life!

In fact, it has been proven time and again that exercise on a continuous basis can definitely help lower your risks for many diseases, but then that is something we want to broach as we get more into this. Still, you can definitely improve conditions such as heart disease with exercise and you can also make a swifter recovery from some forms of cancer, if these are also detected early! From helping with arthritis to joint pain, to spinal problems and combatting obesity—exercise is a powerful elixir that is a very easy solution to implement.

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Quite honestly folks, it really should be natural to want to transform your appearance with exercise, and in fact this is one of the main reasons many fitness programs get started to begin with. Most people do want to get lean and toned, but don’t forget, your brain and heart are muscles as well and they need exercise too. In fact, when you exercise your brain you’re giving your entire physical self a chance to be successful at whatever your aim or goal might be.

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While you want to stay realistic and take slow, progressive steps to that end goal, you can work out your brain with positivity every day to ensure you get there. It all comes down to determination and even inspiration to get fit!

What we are saying to you here is, negative thinking has a huge role on your physical and mental self. You can work hard, eat right, and try to be productive but if you find you’re challenged with always putting yourself down, or thinking you can’t do something before you’ve even given yourself a chance, you’re not going to give your mind the positive reinforcements it needs to guide your physical self to success. Do you see how it works?

While many are aware that stress and anxiety are negative emotions, they remain unaware of just how detrimental these can be in reaching a physical goal. If it is to lose weight, develop more muscle, become stronger, or all of the above: stress and anxiety can create a negative atmosphere that can slow your body down, creating more frustration and negative energy when you don’t get where you want to get when you expect to.

Some get started to improve their health, minimise fat, and reduce the risk of diabetes— while others join to improve joint health, mobility, strength and overall bodily performance. This all varies from one individual to the next, but one thing remains the same: You want to begin feeling great about yourself!

The uproar in Western society is well justified when discussing health and fitness as well. When you stop and consider the fact that the Centres For Disease Control rank obesity as one of the most prevalent killers across the globe, we really have something to contend with. This has definitely grown into an epidemic so motivating yourself and even motivating others are something you should commit to! This is seriously necessary when current research shows more than 1/3 of Americans are obese, and once again, when evaluate this across the globe, obesity is certainly on the rise everywhere—reaching the farthest corners of the Asian part of the world too! !5 © http://www.Ironbuttz.com

So, becoming more active isn’t just necessary anymore, it is what you need to live longer, have more energy, feel healthier, look better, breath better and simply put—improve your overall life in general! However, so many ask: “Where do I have the time to fit in a workout schedule, and how do I even get started?” This is not a hard question, but it varies from person to person, just as anything good in life does.

To begin your fitness journey evaluate your own individual needs. You need to configure your time. What are you willing to sacrifice to make time for physical activity? If it is simply skipping out on stopping by the coffee shop for that Skinny Vanilla Latte then do it! Getting in that exercise is far more important than taking 10 minutes for a cup of Starbucks!

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Also, many people wonder exactly how much exercise in the week they are really required to do? This depends on what your goals are. For instance, if you’re shooting for improving heart health and you have no real need to lose fat, then about 30 minutes of moderate intensity activity 5 days a week is acceptable. Still, if you might be getting less than that you’re still going to see some major benefits. We want to tell you now, don’t use a lack of exercise as an excuse to not exercise at all. This is a serious mistake so many make.

They feel like if they can’t put in necessary time they just shouldn’t do anything. However, doing something is far better than nothing. So, are you really ready to get started with some tips, ideas and ways to better improve a fitness plan you might already have? Are you really ready to be educated? What you think you know might be wrong, and this can change everything.

It’s Not Just About The Gym

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If you have gone for years wondering why you’re not meeting your fitness goals it’s time to begin considering what else might need to change besides just exercising 5 days a week. Regardless of whether you’re male or female you need to consider your stress level and you need to consider your nutritional habits. However, more important than this is how well you are resting. No, we aren’t talking about rest and recovery from a workout. What we are talking about is actual rest and relaxation. If we didn’t mention it before, you have to have time to unwind.

Rest is significant when it comes down to making fitness gains. If your goal is to build up lean muscle then going to the gym and working it hard isn’t enough. You have to learn how to control your cortisol levels, a hormone which is directly responsible for how well you reach your fitness level. For women, cortisol can be the hormone responsible for not losing fat, while for men, this can be the reason for diminishing lean muscle and yes, a pot belly.

So, what do you do?

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If you have researched your nutritional needs then you should be aware of what foods and liquids can help minimise stress and anxiety, no matter how much you might be dealing with. If you can simply begin to get a handle over your emotions you’ll do far better at the gym, or wherever it is you put in your time for your workout. You see, if you’re like most you’ve probably met goals only to gain everything back after just 6 months to a year. It happens, and it isn’t necessarily your fault, not if you’ve been following the right advice.

The reason why we mentioned rest and sleep a little bit ago is because without proper amounts of sleep every night you become sleep deprived. This also leads to an over production of cortisol, which again, enables the body to store more fat and increases the weight around your middle as well. However, too little cortisol in the body can leave you dealing with chronic fatigue, which in turn, causes you to lose your motivation to even go to the gym. It’s a fact that it is cortisol, which actually helps you to get up each and every day. This is like clockwork—so yes, this is essential to life. Still, you simply have to create a balance for cortisol to provide the body with exactly what it needs. Too much is no good and too little is even worse.

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When it comes to dealing with stress, cortisol effects should be short as if they are prolonged you begin running into problems. Yet, without cortisol your body would have no idea how to deal with stress. You’ve heard of the flight or fight response? Well, this is cortisol at work for you. Cortisol helps you deal with stress but it shuts down all other unnecessary functions, metabolism included. Perhaps this is why if it is prolonged and in heavy abundance the body stores fat rather than burning it. Do you see the problem here?

Cortisol actually produces glucose through a chemical chain reaction. We won’t get too scientific here, but you should get the gist. If you can figure out how to accurately control stress in your life, and keep this from becoming chronic then you’ll learn a guaranteed way of balancing out cortisol levels too. The bottom line: cortisol is absolutely necessary because it is the main hormone which helps your body cope with bouts of anxiety, stress, depression or other negative circumstances. However, just as with anything, too much is never good. This is where, once again, nutritional sources can also become a helping hand for you!

That’s right, there are nutritional sources, which can help minimise stress, thus minimising problematic scenarios with too much cortisol running through the body. Some of these food sources are extremely soothing to the central nervous system, creating the possibility for the release of endorphins when they are consumed. Endorphins allow the body to relax and reach a state of satiation or contentment even. If you can manage your stress with feel good emotions like these then you stand a chance of combatting obesity perfectly. It is important to remember that this all works like one giant puzzle, or network rather. One part of the body can’t make its gains if the next part isn’t !10 © http://www.Ironbuttz.com

functioning optimally. For example, if you are working out hard and eating a low carb and low sodium diet you should see fat loss gains, but you won’t if you don’t have your psyche in check. Yes, it can be frustrating, but it simply has to work this way. Now, in this next section you’ll learn how strength training can actually come in and help you work everything out perfectly!

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Why Should You Strength Train There are many reasons why you should include a strength training routine in your health and fitness plan. Also, bear in mind, you can’t just do this for a short period of time and believe your body will just keep the gains you make. Strength training is a life long commitment, even when you’re more mature! If you want to try to minimise the loss of muscle as you age, getting started when you’re young is the smartest decision you can make for your overall health. If you have a good percentage of muscle when you reach your 40’s then you’ll be in good shape.

Remember, without muscle you impact your body in a negative way. Muscle gives you support for mobility, and it gives you strength. However, most importantly lean muscle helps you burn fat and control weight gain! Remember, the more muscle you have the more fat you can burn, there is no doubt! It also reduces the possibility of your body storing fat as well. If you have a balance of muscle within your body then you’ll be less inclined to eat bad and gain weight! Why? Because it is hard work getting that muscle!

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We aren’t going to bore you with what you possibly already know about strength training, but we do want to illustrate how important this is for simply strengthening the mind and the body. Did you know that strength training can simply help you tone and feel far more comfortable about your own body without ever seeking to lose weight? Did you also know that strength training can improve how well your body digests food and how well it pushes unneeded fat from the body? Strength training improves your energy levels, your mood, your productivity, how well you associate with others and so much more!

It isn’t all about losing weight. You’ll find that fitness is so much more than just getting in shape and looking slim in those jeans! Fitness, and strength training general is about improving your health so that you might function far better in your daily life. For instance, if you’ve been dealing with chronic fatigue then 3 days a week of strength training can dramatically improve your body and give you the energy without the afternoon drag! Now, strength training is also some of the best physical therapy you can get involved in as well. If you’ve suffered a work injury, such as with your back or maybe your shoulder, strength training can gradually heal those muscles and ligaments and help you have far better mobility than you did before you injured yourself. Remember, the plus side to it is you just might lose some fat you needed to as well, even when you’re not engaged in a fitness program!

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But there is so much more to strength training!

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No matter what, and no matter how fit you might think you are, everyone should engage in a little bit of strength training every week, again, not just for fat loss but for health gains. For example, if you’ve been diagnosed with osteoporosis, strength training can help improve the bones and minimise the complications of having this disease! In fact, strength training is known to increase bone density, bringing more protection for the bones, even for those at risk for osteoporosis or who have already been diagnosed with it. You should never just give in when it comes to your health because there are always things you can do to improve upon your life. Consider this…

Yes, you get stronger, leaner and healthier when you strength train, as has been pointed out. Yes, you can improve bone health, but you can also increase your life longevity! This means you can beat the odds and live longer than expected, whether you’re a guy or a girl! Because strength training builds the muscles, this builds up the strength of the heart and improves cognitive ability too! Now, we don’t mean by pushing weights around you’re making your brain bigger, but you’re definitely helping to improve blood flow and thus, cognitive capabilities! This can lower your risk for dementia and even strokes!

Every little bit counts for something!

According to multiple, credible research studies and the opinions of numerous medical professionals—strength training helps you manage chronic conditions that can wreak havoc on your body. You can work out and stay fit just like the next individual if you put in the time and effort to protect your health, or improve upon it (yes, even with a health condition). Don’t forget though, you do need to get the approval of a licensed health professional before you start any fitness or strength training routine, just to be safe!

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You can also begin a strength-training program at any age; so don’t let this hold you back either! The best news about strength training is that it isn’t an activity you have to drown yourself in. If you dedicate yourself and persevere you can make great progress on just three to four strength training sessions a week. Even men who are above 50 years of age can begin building upon the existing lean muscle they have. Furthermore, training such as this not only extends your life but it can make you look years younger than what you already do. Of course, you have to be curious about when you can see real results, no matter what your age, right?

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Results from strength training vary from person to person, and it all depends upon what you put into your routine as well. You can put 30 to 45 minutes into a strength training session and begin to see real results in 3 to 6 months, though you’ll notice toning far sooner than this. For most individuals, inches are lost first, and then you’ll begin seeing the scale move! Almost immediately you’ll see an increase in your strength and stamina, without a doubt.

You should gradually increase the weight of your lifts every single week, if you want to keep making proper progress. This goes for each and everyone who engages in a strength training routine! Now, don’t forget, no matter how old you are you want to discuss your fitness and health goals with a medial provider to ensure you aren’t at risk for any health complications from strength training or working out in general.

If you have the okay to work out and start feeling better about yourself and your outlook in general, then strength training gives you the tool to properly and effectively manage all of these issues and then some: obesity, chronic back pain, osteoporosis, heart disease, diabetes and even more! It’s worth considering as it will give you a reason to feel great because you’ll know you’ll be the one taking that pro-active role to look and feel the best you can!

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Develop A Nutritional Strategy: Know What To Eat And When To Eat It

Your diet is more than critical to your fitness and strength training goals. The majority of people believe that diet is more important than actual physical training, though the real truth is that these two are tied intricately into one another. Some foods can help you burn more fat than others simply by boosting your metabolism. For example, some food sources have an extremely high thermogenic effect on the body so you can burn calories even while you eat. Spicy foods are known to have the potential for this while also giving you excellent nutritional compounds to improve digestive functioning in general.

Another excellent food source you should take in regularly is whole grains. Because the body requires more energy to break down this type of nutritional substance you can expend more than you consume, but still fuel your body in a healthy way. !18 © http://www.Ironbuttz.com

Furthermore, fibre rich foods fill you up far quicker because they contain more nutritional value as well, therefore you won’t have the tendency to eat more than what your body requires. And never forget the value of lean protein!

The body simply couldn’t thrive without protein, and most certainly one would struggle to lose weight without lean protein sources. When we are speaking about weight loss however, lean protein is another food product that requires a great deal of energy from the body to break it down. Believe it or not, but, you burn around 35% of the calories from lean protein sources during the digestion phase alone. This is why experts state healthy protein cannot make you fat, not when you exercise appropriately.

Do you really understand the full nutritional value of some of these foods?

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There are too many individuals who just don’t have the educational awareness they need to make the right nutritional choices for fat-loss goals or lean muscle development. Without the right choices you’ll make far slower progress than what you would like. Do you know what it is you should have before a workout and following a workout? What about on your rest days? And, let’s not forget portion sizes. Now, with portions, if you’re trying to bulk and you’re male you don’t really have to worry about calorie restrictions too much, but your food should come from healthy sources.

On your workout days you need to decide what program you’ll be doing for starters. If it is a cardio day for you (including speed walking on a treadmill, cycling, swimming laps, etc.) then you’ll want to try and get to the gym early and exercise on an empty stomach if at all possible. If this isn’t possible then don’t fret. You can still make adequate gains but the body burns fat far better if you workout before you eat, for cardio activity anyway.

However, if you plan on having a variation day, meaning you’ll be including strength training in with cardio training then you don’t ever want to do this on an empty stomach! You need energy so it’s important to have a healthy protein filled breakfast on a day such as this. Also, before a workout you could have an energy enhancing drink (for added energy) and you could also have a light carbohydrate source for extra energy.

Hydration! During your workout you want to always stay hydrated. Some fitness individuals take a gallon of water with them to the gym. Now, while this isn’t absolutely necessary it is a well-founded idea. You have to keep your body well lubricated to allow for ease of movement, especially when we are speaking about weight lifting of any sort. This helps to keep you feeling good while also minimising the risk of injury too! So, water is always going to be with you no matter what routine you’re doing.

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Now, following your workout, we can’t stress enough how important it is to eat the right things! This could be the most important nutritional choice you actually make all day, and yes it is that crucial! If you didn’t know, your muscle cells store what is known as “glycogen” for energy. Now, when you workout your body is going to use the preworkout meal or drink you had to start, then turn to the muscle cells themselves for anything stored there. Simply put, you have to fuel up the right way if you want to truly succeed! No one wants to wait weeks to see some real results, so just remember what is most important here.

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So, before your workout let’s just list some of the most helpful food choices to keep your energy levels up and to give you an extra level of pep when you need it the most! From here we can go on to tell you what foods are best after your workout! If many of you are thinking an immediate protein smoothie you might really be surprised. You don’t need excess sugar that comes in many of those from the concession at a gym (way too much sugar here!) So, let’s take a look:

Before your workout make certain you get a carbohydrate and a protein together! •

Banana

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1 slice of wheat toast

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1 spoon of peanut butter or

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wheat toast

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greek yogurt

•

Remember, this is right before your workout, not your meal before your workout! This is also on those days where you’ll be doing strength training and some walking on a treadmill or even cycling as well.

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•

Let’s give an idea of after a workout now—

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grilled chicken

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grilled vegetables if possible or

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vegetables sautéed in virgin olive oil

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water

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4 ounces of fruit

You can put some variation in this but as you can see, this gives you a good starting idea. If you must have a potato go with a sweet potato, and go with a small one. If you’re bulking, you can have a large one, it doesn’t matter!

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As you can see here we don’t recommend ever eating any nuts or seeds before a heavy workout as they are heavier on your stomach and can produce sluggishness. These are, in fact, harder to digest so while they take more energy they can deplete you of what you need when you need it the most! This is why we’ve recommended sources such as Greek yogurt and fruit as they are light and easily digestible. A little bit of nuts might go a long way, but you certainly wouldn’t want too many of these as they have a higher fat context than other food sources.

The goal is to refuel and recover, so this is why your food afterwards is so detrimental. If you’ve noticed, very few people in a gym progress the way they should. They might appear to stay the same size and retain the same strength, but they just aren’t building upon the lean muscle they have, or they might not be making steady weight-loss advances. It varies, but the problem is always about your nutrition!

Carbohydrates are essential following a workout, if we didn’t state this already. In fact, since you’ve possibly used your glycogen stores within your muscle cells you’ll want to take in at least 50% of your calories from carbohydrates. This could come from green !24 © http://www.Ironbuttz.com

leafy vegetables, such as a salad paired with bright veggies and fruit with a lean protein source. You can pick and choose, but the bottom line is to pick right!

Now, those who exercise moderately might only need 40 grams of carbs following their workout, while someone who performed high intensity exercise might require double this amount. Also, don’t worry about going over your calorie intake, this is just a myth. You should take in about 50% of what you burned during your workout. So, if you burned 800 calories, consume at least 400 to compensate.

What matters most is finding out what is going to work best for you on your path to a better life. It might not work for others, but that is really beside the point, this is all about you! Now, if you know how your body works and you understand it well then you’ll be able to discover an effective solution sooner rather than later. If you want your body to be at its best then it’s time to start helping get it there, don’t you agree?

Total Body Relaxation For Optimal Health And Fitness You should go for total body relaxation if you want to discover just how well your body can perform and how well you can achieve those fitness gains. Relaxation for some is hard to come by but there are a variety of techniques to help you find some for of stress and anxiety relief no matter what. For example, for some people, swimming provides their bodies with ultimate relaxation while working every muscle in the body at the same time.

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When you swim for relaxation we aren’t talking about swimming for muscle gain. We are talking about a leisurely swim, one where you can float and relax in the water, allowing your muscles a break from normal, everyday workouts. This is a reprieve that can calm the mind and the body. Furthermore, scientific case studies have shown water to be a calming, soothing element—perfect for individuals who might not be able to exercise or relax, as they should.

Progressive relaxation can include yoga, dance, mind & body techniques and so much more. What many are looking for is a way to integrate muscle relaxation and relaxing exercises in general into their normal fitness routine. Some want these as a finisher to their workout. However you want to implement body relaxation techniques into your life is your choice, but it is an excellent idea for the mind too!

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Also, don’t forget how stressed you can become from the mere idea of trying to stay fit and healthy. Sometimes this alone can burden you and with some mind and body relaxation techniques you can alleviate this and allow your body to full relax as it should. Remember what was mentioned earlier in this literature. Stress can cause you to lose out on your progress, so something like all over body relaxation is the perfect cure to keep those negatives at a minimum!

Many find great relaxation with yoga and also find this to be a way to not only improve upon the ability to relax, but to improve circulation, memory, mobility and even improve upon sleep and rest! Yoga is growing in popularity and it can help you relax in an undeniable way. The best news is that the poses aren’t even hard to learn. There are many for basic beginners, such as the: baby doll pose, nighttime Goddess stretch, upside down relaxation and others.

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Learning a basic mind and body technique can greatly enhance the positive in your life. The bottom line here is to incorporate a variety of things into your life that are going to work for you, as an individual. Relaxation is definitely a part of this. We all know about muscle recovery days, so if you can relax you can hit that gym sooner, following an intense workout. However, relaxation techniques are again, more than just for fitness. These can simply improve your view on your life from a general perspective.

The end goal is to feel good about yourself and who you are as a person. All of the information that has been provided to you here is meant to just do this. You can take this as a beginner’s stepping-stone. From here you’ll be able to build upon what you have and grow. You will reach those goals when you follow the sound advice and push yourself the way you should! Good luck, and never stop trying!

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