The benefits of regular exercise are well documented. According to the Surgeon General Executive Summary on Physical Activity and Health, higher levels of physical activity are linked to lower overall mortality rates, decreased risk of cardiovascular disease, prevention or delay of high blood pressure with aging, decreased risk of colon cancer, lower risk of diabetes, lower risk of obesity, and improved mental health. Other benefits include better sleep, improved brain function and increased aerobic capacity.

Regular walking at just a moderate pace is a fabulous way to improve your fitness. It is cheap, convenient, low impact, not too difficult, and can easily be broken down into 2 or 3 sessions a day if you do not have time to get it in all at once. Is 30 minutes of walking a day at a moderate pace enough?

Walking by itself is obviously great exercise, and yes, 30 minutes a day is enough to provide significant health benefits. However, there may be a difference in health benefits depending upon how fit you are based on aerobic capacity. According to an article in the Sept-Oct 2006 issue of American College of Sports Medicine Health & Fitness Journal written by David Swain, PhD., a professor of exercise physiology at Old Dominion University, most regular exercisers have a 30% reduction in coronary artery disease risk over sedentary people, but those with the highest aerobic capacity have more than double the protection against heart disease.

Aerobic capacity is boosted by increasing the intensity of some workouts. If you want to see continued improvement, then go ahead and gradually introduce something a little more intense just once or twice a week. A good way to start is to try adding several 1 minute jogs or a power-walking gait to your usual walk. Other options would be to find a hill to walk up or head to the gym for a short hard easy bike or stairmaster workout.

The idea is to elevate your heart rate to a level above what you are accustomed to for short periods of time with alternating recovery breaks. Chances are good you will begin seeing improvements after just a few of these higher intensity workouts.

You can gradually continue the progression by increasing the length of each quality interval until you are able to continually exercise at a higher intensity. Remember, you only need to do this once or twice a week to raise aerobic capacity.

Increasing exercise intensity is not recommended for everybody. For example, the presence of cardiovascular disease risk factors such as smoking, age over 40 years, diabetes, family history of early heart disease, high blood pressure, and abnormal blood lipids is a major concern.

If you have 2 or more of these risk factors there is a greater chance that you may already have some degree of coronary artery disease, and exercising harder puts you at much greater risk for cardiac problems. Perhaps you heard about the recent death that occurred during the Marine Corps Marathon.

Another concern would be exercise compliance. Not everyone enjoys higher intensity workouts, and if you hate what you are doing, the next thing you know is you’ll be looking for excuses to skip workouts.

If that is the case, you are better off keeping the pace slower and more comfortable.

Remember, if you already have 2 or more of those cardiac risk factors, play it safe and get checked out by a physician. It’s not worth the risk.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/fitness-articles/is-walking-30-minutes-a-day-enough-72445.html

About the Author:
Dave Elger is a well respected authority within the running community having written hundreds of articles on the topics of running and wellness. You can contact him at http://www.daveelger.com. He also supports the Okinawa Running Club.

The hard part?  It’s the will.  Most wanna bees do not have the will to watch their calorie and they do not have the will to do abdominal exercises EVERY DAY!

Below is an article that gives an insight on six pack abdominal exercises:

Develop Your 6 Pack with Abdominal Exercise
By Morgan Hamilton

An abdominal exercise can help you lose some extra pounds around your middle and get the look you want. However, you should not concentrate on doing them too much because looking weight is more complicated that just doing an exercise. You will need a lot more than sit-ups if you want to get rid of the excess fat on your belly. You have to watch your diet and cut your intake of calories if you want to have a slimmer waist.

Contrary to what most people think, a single abdominal exercise is not enough to tone the stomach and get a slimmer waist. You will find yourself treading water if you do not reduce the calories you put into your body. You will be toning the muscles in your stomach, when you do an abdominal exercise. However, you have to actually target the fat in that area in order to get rid of it. Diet along with exercise is the most effective combination for getting that area into shape. There is just no way around it. You just have to motivate yourself by keeping in mind that your stomach is going to look great if you keep up with the exercise.

The Internet can give you a great abdominal exercise that can help you have a shapely waist. You can find many sit-up exercises online, but you still have to make sure that you are doing them correctly or you will injure your back. Many people won’t do them because it puts too much stress on their back, although there are a lot of people who still do sit-ups as a primary abdominal exercise. If you have a bad back, then you should find other exercises that are easier on your back and the rest of your body.

You must take it easy with your abdominal exercise routine if you are pregnant. It is very important that you to talk to your doctor about an exercise program that is good for you and your baby. You can keep exercising when you are expecting, but you don’t want to harm the baby. You can go back to the abdominal exercise to get back in shape, once the baby is born. In my opinion, pregnant women should accept the shape of their bodies considering their delicate situation. If you are pregnant, them you should enjoy the pregnancy and worry about your abs after you give birth.

Morgan Hamilton offers expert advice and great tips regarding all aspects concerning Abdominal Exercise. Visit our site for more helpful information about Abdominal Exercise and other similar topics.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Morgan_Hamilton
http://EzineArticles.com/?Develop-Your-6-Pack-with-Abdominal-Exercise&id=392261

Weight loss doesn’t have to be the anorexic look.  Everyone should be looking to find the healthy weight range for someone their height.  Nowadays, healthy weight range is calculated using the body-mass index (bmi), along with a person’s height.

So do you think you’re hot and healthy female weighing 105 lbs?  Well, you better be standing at 5′3″ or less.  Anything more than that and you’re risking malnourishment.

If you’re having trouble following-through with your New Years resolution, read the article below to help put your mind in the right place.

Do You Think New Years Resolutions should be Self Development to Achieve Success?

What is your New Years Resolution? Get out of Debt, Be Happy, Find Success, Loose Weight, Exercise More, Stop Smoking. They are all good resolutions and each of them starts with Self Development.

The key to acheive success and happiness are dependent on one thing. You. How committed are you to make the neccessary changes required to improve your life? You have to decide that you are not only worth it but deserve it. God has a purpose for your life, have you discovered what it is?

Life is about the choices and decisions we make. Life is a journey and one worth taking. Your life is a road traveled only by you. Others will join you on that road and travel with you for awhile but it is ultimately up to you which direction you take. You may take the road towards fame and fortune or the road to defeat and disappointment. You may choose the road to happiness or sadness, victory or disappointment. Again, your choice.

Your life, just like roads, has corners, detours, crossroads and traffic jams. You do not really know where a road will lead until you take it. There are no guarantees the road you take will lead you to the results you are seeking or there won’t be detours along the way.

You do however get to decide if the road you are on is the road you stay on. You can choose to stay in your present situation and continue getting the same results. Or you can choose to take a new road with the possibility of getting new and better results. You can decide if you take the road traveled by others in an attempt to recieve the same results they have, or you may take the road less traveled, blazing a new trail in your quest for success and happiness.

Perhaps you are at a crossroad now in your life. Maybe you are tired of running in the fast lane. Or you could be discouraged by the vehicle you have to drive, wondering why you can’t be in a bright new shiny one. Maybe you are already driving a new one, but you aren’t enjoying the ride, constantly hitting pot holes and displaying road rage to anyone who gets in your way.

Everyone at some point in their life wants a change or perhaps you know it’s definitely time for a one. So where do you start. This may surprise you but you already have. By reading articles like this one or even allowing thoughts of change means you are on your way. You just need to continue preparing for the trip. Any successful trip requires planning and it’s never to late for you to decide to take one. The road to success and ultimate wealth is available to anyone who is willing devote some time and effort on self improvement.

Start planning now. Write down where you would like to be, who you would like to be down the road and start working on the areas of your life that do not have a place at your destination. Be prepared for detours, work your way around them, don’t let them make you turn back. And the most important thing to remember………. enjoy the journey.

–
Anita Burnett, Life Style Mentor and Successful Entrepreneur, is helping many become the next success story.

Source: http://www.articletrader.com

Here is an article detailing what Total Gym Chuck Norris commercial is talking about:

No More Excuses, It’s Time for a Total Gym
By Tyson J Stevenson

Around the world a large number of people are engaged in some kind of exercise, sports, or physical activities. Undertaking physical activity on a regular basis rewards you with a large number of benefits. Exercise is essential to keep your mind and body “in shape”. From ancient Indian Yoga methodology to ultramodern “Total gym” the concept of exercise is to make your mind and intellect grow together in harmony.

Numerous clubs have purchased Total Gym to add to their facilities. The U.S. Olympic Team has also adopted the Total Gym as part of their regular training. Some of the models of total gyms have been introduced in rehabilitation centers, training facilities and hospitals all over the world.

The beginning of something great

Larry Westfall, Tom Campanaro and Dale McMurray started the Total Gym. The concept behind it was to aware people of our everyday functional movements that we use against gravitational force. In the seventies people were not interested in exercise. But in 1980’s the courage of exercise and bodybuilding exploded and the partners made lot of money with their “Total Gym” body building instruments.

Famous athlete and now spokesman Chuck Norris is using the “Total Gym” for the past twenty years.

Total Gym Unbeatable Features

With the help of Total Gym you can easily perform more than sixty exercises. Besides, changing from one posture to another using the instruments is neither complicated nor difficult. The equipment is made up of solid steel to give you better support while exercising and they guarantee a life long service.

Some unique features of total gym:

• Media materials: If your exercise time with Total Gym does not match with the trainer’s, even then you can exercise as it comes with media material such as an instructional video and books.

• Pilates bar: Total gym is available in various models, some particular models have a Pilates bar to change your work out positions by adding some depth.

• Auto lock facility: This facility enables you height adjustments for safety reasons.

• Glide board: King size glide board for your extra comfort while exercising.

• Wide tower: It adds to the durability and stability of the Total gym.

Your Commitment to The Total Gym

Just a regular exercise of twenty to twenty five minutes per day three to four times a week can bring your desirable results with your Total gym. You will find a remarkable change in your mental attitude, and physically, will always feel life filled with energy.

Some specific benefits with total gym:

Improved muscle tone: Exercise with total gym will improve your muscle tone to change the shape of your body. Since muscle is denser than fat, one can get bigger or smaller by gaining more muscle mass.

Increased metabolism: Increased physical activity with total gym leads to more muscle mass, which itself leads to speed the rate of metabolism. You will burn 100 to 150 extra calories, helping in maintain your weight.

Regular use of total gym thus will bring you reduced stress, improved self-esteem and better health.

Note: You should visit a chiropractor or specialist if you are experiencing any health hazard such as Diabetes, Myocardial infarct or asthma before going to practice with total Gym.

Tyson J Stevenson writes on a wide variety of fitness related subjects,always with valuable news & reviews. Expect to see his name often.

A related resource is Best Total Gym

Further information can be found at News2Reviews

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Tyson_J_Stevenson
http://EzineArticles.com/?No-More-Excuses,-Its-Time-for-a-Total-Gym&id=188954

Abs are big business, and just about every Tom, Dick and Harriet wants a rock solid ’six-pack’. It’s a phenomenon, and while some have turned it into an obsession, others see it as nothing more than an overrated frustration. After all, 1000 sit-ups a day just doesn’t seem to ‘cut’ it and many can’t understand why.

Have you been training for ages to get a set of rock-hard abs? If you’re not succeeding, let me help by telling you the cold, hard truth about abs.

Let me explain it to you — straight up without the whole mumbo jumbo. First of all, you need to forget all the infomercials and magazine covers that promise to give you abs in a few weeks. There is no way you’re going to get those abs unless you’re prepared to work damn hard for them. And I’m not just talking physical, blood, sweat and tears. You need to train hard and diet even harder — after all, abs are made in the kitchen.

Just look at any guy or girl with abs and you’ll see that they don’t only have definition in their abs, but in their whole body. They also have a low body fat percentage and probably eat very little junk food.

While working out those abs to near exhaustion will no doubt build the foundation, if you don’t watch what you eat, the layer of fat that covers your midsection will keep your abs hidden. Sculpting them means shaving off all the fat — and I don’t mean literally. Reduce your body fat by following a balanced diet with little or no junk and processed foods and work hard in the gym, and before you know it you’ll have washboard abs to die for.

–
Visit Susan’s website A 2 Z of Health and Beauty for information on health and beauty, nutrition, fitness, skin care, weight loss and more.

This article can be freely used as long as a link to “A 2 Z of Health and Beauty” (http://health.learninginfo.org) is provided.

Source: http://www.articletrader.com