Aerobics Cardio

Don t Have to Strain for Cardio Fitness

2008-07-14T06:14:00.000-07:00

You Don t Have to Strain for Cardio Fitness Gains

Quantity may beat quality when it comes to exercise and heart health. Adults who engage in mild exercise -- such as walking briskly for 12 miles or exercising moderately for 125-200 minutes over the course of a week -- can improve their aerobic fitness significantly and reduce their risk of cardiova

Copyright 2005 Daily News Central

Quantity may beat quality when it comes to exercise and heart health. Adults who engage in mild exercise -- such as walking briskly for 12 miles or exercising moderately for 125-200 minutes over the course of a week -- can improve their aerobic fitness significantly and reduce their risk of cardiovascular disease, according to a study published in Chest.

"The classic exercise regimen has a component of intensity up to 80 percent of someone's maximum for health benefits," says lead author Brian D. Duscha of Duke University Medical Center in North Carolina.

"Our study demonstrates that you can exercise at an intensity much less than that and still achieve fitness benefits," he notes.

"People find exercise 'hard' and few people want to exercise at an intensity higher than they have to. Walking briskly for 12 miles a week per week is realistic and does not require anyone to incorporate a hardcore training regimen. Increasing your mileage or intensity will give you even greater health benefits," Duscha says.

Improved Oxygen Consumption

A Duke Medical Center research team examined the effects of different exercise training regimens on 133 patients aged 40 to 65 years. All were sedentary, overweight nonsmokers who had abnormal levels of fat in their blood.

The participants were divided into four exercise groups:

- high-amount/high-intensity (HAHI), the equivalent of jogging 20 miles per week at 65 to 80 percent peak Vo2 (maximum oxygen consumption);

- low-amount/high-intensity (LAHI), the equivalent of jogging/walking up an inclined treadmill approximately 12 miles per week at 65 to 80 percent peak Vo2;

- low-amount/moderate intensity (LAMI), the equivalent of walking approximately 12 miles per week at 40 to 55 percent peak Vo2; and

- a control group of nonexercising patients.

All patients underwent cardiopulmonary exercise testing twice at baseline and after seven to nine months of exercise training.

All exercise groups significantly improved their absolute and relative peak oxygen consumption and time to exhaustion (TTE) compared to baselines scores.

Increasing Intensity May Help Too

Although the HAHI group showed the greatest improvements in peak Vo2 overall, increasing exercise intensity from 40 to 55 percent to 65 to 80 percent (at a controlled amount of 12 miles/week) did not significantly improve peak oxygen consumption. However, increasing the amount of exercise did produce improvements.

An increase in exercise amount also demonstrated a graded increase in TTE between groups, although data were not statistically significant.

"Although our results did point toward amount being more important, it is very likely fitness levels can be improved by increasing either amount or intensity," says Duscha.

"This is illustrated by the tiered effect the exercise dose had on fitness improvements across our groups. We believe with more people in the study, increasing intensity would also have been significant," he explains.

Losing Weight Not Essential

Body mass index (BMI) was reduced in the LAHI and HAHI, groups but remained unchanged in the LAMI group. All exercise groups lost an average of 2.87 pounds after exercise. Baseline characteristics of age, BMI, weight, peak and relative Vo2, and TTE were not different between the groups.

"A second very important message is that subjects enjoyed fitness benefits in the absence of weight loss. Many people exercise with the purpose of losing weight. When they do not lose weight, they do not think the exercise is benefiting them and they stop exercising," notes Duscha.

"The truth is, you can improve your cardiovascular fitness and reduce your risk for heart disease by exercising without losing weight. Even if individuals do not lose weight, it is likely that they will lose body fat and increase lean muscle mass while reducing other risk factors," he points out.

12 Miles a Week

Adherence to exercise requires motivation and making exercise a priority, the researchers stress. They advise those who are beginning an exercise regimen to start slowly, choose an enjoyable activity, and make exercise a social activity. Individuals with medical problems should consult a physician before starting an exercise program.

"If you distill our results down, the public health message is: You only need to walk briskly for 12 miles per week or for approximately 125 to 200 minutes per week to improve your health. This sheds more light on the question, 'What is the minimum amount of exercise I need to do to get a health benefit?'" says Duscha.

"Regular exercise is an important part of a well-balanced lifestyle," adds Paul A. Kvale, MD, FCCP, President of the American College of Chest Physicians. "Physicians and other healthcare providers should encourage their patients to engage in regular exercise in order to obtain pulmonary and cardiovascular benefits."

About Author

Rita Jenkins is a health journalist for Daily News Central, an online publication that delivers breaking news and reliable health information to consumers, healthcare providers and industry professionals: http://www.dailynewscentral.com

Article Source: http://www.1888articles.com/author-guest-6.html

Aerobics - Imposters

2008-07-14T06:13:00.000-07:00

Author: Guest

In health clubs, they run classes that call themselves "aerobics". As you will come to see, they are neither aerobic, nor are they the best way to lose the excess fat. The main thing they accomplish for you is losing weight from your wallet.

In health clubs, they run classes that call themselves "aerobics". As you will come to see, they are neither aerobic, nor are they the best way to lose the excess fat. The main thing they accomplish for you is losing weight from your wallet.

True Aerobics

The word "aerobic" literally means "with air". It is the opposite of anaerobic (without air). These terms refer to the way in which your cells are providing the energy for your muscles to work. Anaerobic means sugars are being burned without oxygen, which creates a by-product of lactic acid. This lactic acid accumulates in your muscles, causing them to feel like they-re burning. Aerobic means that blood sugar and fat are being burned in oxygen, which has only carbon dioxide as a by-product, which you exhale. Low intensity exercise is aerobic because you can inhale enough oxygen to meet your muscles- energy needs. High intensity exercise needs far more energy, but you can-t breathe in enough air to keep up, so you feel "out of breath". But your muscles still need the energy, so they switch to anaerobic. However, you can-t burn fat in anaerobic mode, only sugars, so you can-t keep it up too long, and you-re not accomplishing your goal of fat-reduction.

Whatever activity you choose, you know you-re in an aerobic mode if you can take deep breaths and carry on a conversation. If you-re taking fast, shallow breaths through your mouth, then no matter how slow you may be going or what kind of activity it is, you-re doing it anaerobically. Does that mean that walking to the store is aerobic activity? Yes. Most things you do all day are aerobic. For it to be exercise, though, you have to raise your heart rate. So, get the blood flowing by walking fast, and you-ll be burning fat in no time.

For aerobic exercise to be effective, it has to be long duration. When you start to move around, your body will burn blood-sugar in oxygen aerobically, but it won-t trigger your fat cells to provide any fat to burn right away. Your body would prefer to wait for your next meal to replace the blood sugar. It-s only when you show your body that it will need more energy right away that it will recruit fat from your fat stores. Once the fat starts to flow, you have to burn it, or else it will be re-deposited unused. So what does that mean? When you do a low-intensity exercise, it will really do you no good until you pass the 15-20 minute mark. Until then, you are just burning blood-sugar. Once the fat starts to flow, that-s when the work really begins, and you should continue exercising and burning that fat for at least 20 more minutes if you continue your low-intensity activity. If you switch to a higher-intensity activity, try to breathe as deeply as possible to continue your aerobic burning.

Aerobics Alone Is Not Enough: the best diet for weight loss is here: http://www.weightlessproducts.com/diet-products.html

Use Your Biggest Weapons

If your goal is fat-reduction and you want to achieve it as quickly as possible, you must use your biggest weapons. Larger muscles burn more energy than smaller muscles. Therefore, your choice of exercise should make use of your largest muscles, which are your gluteus maximus and your quadriceps... your butt and your thighs. Walking, jogging, stair climbing, cross country skiing, rollerblading and bicycling are all great examples of activities you can keep up for a long period of time, while breathing deeply and using your largest muscles. Swimming, unfortunately, is mostly an upper-body activity, no matter how hard you think you-re kicking.

The arm movements that you see some "power-walkers" doing, as well as the complicated patterns in "aerobics" classes at the gym are doing nothing to speed up weight loss. Arm swinging can improve your circulation and keep your mind occupied, but is not necessary, and certainly is no substitute for a good leg workout.

High Intensity Usefulness

High intensity exercise has it-s good points, though. It is important to remember that a well-conditioned heart and lungs can fight heart disease and stroke, and makes all forms of exercise more effective. The only way to improve the function of your heart and lungs is to push them harder than normal, into the anaerobic side of things. When you-re struggling for breath, breathing rapidly, and your heart is pumping at its maximum, you are making them more powerful and prolonging your life. Although anaerobic exercise does not burn fat while you-re doing it, the exercise itself raises your metabolism so that you burn fat afterward for several hours. This is because your body is replacing all the energy you used. My other recommendations can be found in my article on Exercise, click here.

Those high-intensity classes offered by health clubs are good for some people, but there-s no good reason for you to join one if you-ve never done it before. For some people, it makes the workout fun, which is a great motivator. The coach or instructor is also a great source of motivation because they encourage you to continue and push harder. Many people need that. Just remember that it is NOT aerobic exercise. The complicated patterns and arm movements serve no purpose, and if you can-t keep up for more than 20 minutes, it may be a waste of time. For most men (and women) it is far better to do a nice low-intensity warm up for 20 minutes, followed by a moderate to high intensity run or bike for another 10-15 minutes. To get the best aerobic benefits, try to breathe deeply throughout, because that-s what aerobics is really about!

Aerobics is good, but there are better exercises for weight loss, read my article on Exercise, which you can find at http://www.weightlessproducts.com/free-weight-loss-articles/exercise.html

About Author

David "Mr. Weightless" McCormick is the founder of Weightless Products, the best weight loss program for men. All articles are available in full for FREE, with no banners, no pop-ups and no registration. Wait Less for Weight Loss, visit http://www.weightlessproducts.com

Article Source: http://www.1888articles.com/author-guest-6.html

What is Cardiovascular Health?

2008-07-14T06:12:00.000-07:00

Author: Stacie Battjes

We all remember our days in gym class of running laps and climbing ropes. We treasured playing dodge ball and running under a giant parachute. Aside from delighting our childlike desire to play, these activities were designed to accomplish an important purpose.

Gym class and sports practices were developed to get our hearts pumping and to improve our cardiovascular endurance.

What is cardiovascular endurance?

Cardiovascular training involves exercises that recruit both our cardiovascular and respiratory systems. When you think of activities that cause your heart to beat faster or you to breathe rapidly, these are activities that improve your cardiovascular endurance. Cardiovascular training is often referred to simply as "cardio" or "aerobic" training and includes exercises such as cycling, running, walking, and swimming.

Why is cardiovascular endurance important?

Cardiovascular training engages both your cardiovascular and respiratory systems, or more simply, your heart and your lungs. Stressing these systems and organs through exercising teaches them to become stronger and more efficient. For example, the stroke volume (amount of blood that is ejected in one heart beat) of a trained athlete will be much higher than the stroke volume for an untrained individual. As a result, a trained athlete's heart at rest will be required to beat fewer times per minute than an untrained individual's. Improving the efficiency of these systems allows the body to maintain health with less strain and difficulty.

How do we measure cardiovascular endurance?

While many activities are outstanding methods to improve cardiovascular health, measuring the intensity of these activities is an important way to assess both effectiveness and improvement. The American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) recommends that individuals train between 64 – 94% of their maximal heart rate to improve health and endurance. The following equation is used to determine individual maximal heart rate:

Maximal HR = 220 – age

Using the maximal heart rate an individual can determine his or heart ideal training rage by multiplying maximal heart rate and target percentage.

Target HR (lower) = [maximal HR] x 0.64
Target HR (upper) = [maximal HR] x 0.94

For example, a 35 year old individual with an estimated heart rate or 185 (220 – 35 = 185) would want to exercise with the range of 118 – 174 beats per minute.

How do we measure our heart rate?

There are several methods for measuring your heart rate. We are all accustomed to the stethoscopes that health professionals utilize to clearly hear our heart beat, but it is unlikely that you will be carrying a stethoscope with you the next time you go out for a walk. Finding your pulse on your neck or on your wrist is an effective way to count your heart beats. After you find your pulse you can watch a clock for 15 seconds as you count the number of times that your heart beats. When you determine the number of beats in 15 seconds you can multiply this number by 4 to establish your heart rate, or beats per minute. You can also purchase a heart rate monitor to wear while exercising to ensure that you are training within the target range.

Improving your cardiovascular health and endurance is a key aspect in developing your overall wellness. A healthy heart will undoubtedly lengthen your life and the types of activity that you are able to enjoy as you grow older. As you fondly recall your days of recess and gym class, remember the activities that you once enjoyed with great enthusiasm, and try those activities again. You will get your heart pumping and improve your health!

About Author

Stacie Battjes is Corporate Wellness Manager for http://www.infinitewellnesssolutions.com , located in Winston Salem, NC. Stacie has authored many health and wellness articles for various publications. Her works are included among the many free wellness resources and wellness tools on one of her companies sister sites http://www.wellnessproposals.com .

Article Source: http://www.1888articles.com

Modern Aerobic Workouts

2008-07-14T01:30:00.000-07:00

By: Sheila Ffloyd

"No pain, no gain" has long been a popular phrase for motivational speakers and exercise buffs. Many of use would prefer to say "Forget the pain and lose the gain", but unfortunately, it's just not that easy.

Of course, there are those that would like to avoid both the gain, and the pain. Many people avoid aerobic exercise because they can't stick to a consistent routine, don't have the time to workout, or simply don't see the benefit in working so hard for seemingly minimal results.

Everyone wants to see results from their efforts, but obstacles can come into play. The problem may not be a lack of effort on your part, but simply that you're not eating the right foods. Others fail because they're not consistent with the rhythm and timing of the workouts.

There is a great deal of emphasis on the consistency and rhythm of aerobic workouts, as well as the length of the routine. There are both minimum and maximum recommended time allowances for all types of aerobics. If you understand these times, you'll have a better chance of achieving results.

Torturing yourself with an exhaustive routine isn't always enough. Aerobic workouts are not just about the treadmill or the gym or the running and jogging. There are other ways to circulate your oxygen intake, and many are more enjoyable than they are exhausting.

People have been enjoying aerobics exercises for decades with swimming, yoga, tai chi, aerobic boxing, rhythmic dancing and other activities. Check online or visit your bookstore or magazine stand for more information on the many forms of aerobics exercise.

The best part of it is that not only does it really work, it's fun to participate in activities such as the ones mentioned. When you're enjoying yourself it is easier to commit. When you're commit yourself fully, consistency and change follows.

If you're interested in taking up an aerobics exercise program, take the time to see your doctor. A physician should always be consulted before starting any exercise regime. With your doctor's permission, you can then choose from three basic types of aerobics: step, low and high intensity.

Step aerobics, as the name implies, involves a one-two step concept. You exercise with a bench step, a block or anything that you can step on in a constant rhythm. High class aerobics denotes more movement such as jumping and bouncing similar to the dance type aerobics and the like. The low class aerobics is focused more with keeping one foot on the ground, which means less jumping and bouncing. Different classes, different results. To determine which would be best for you, consult a health care professional.

Either way, if your main goal is to only keep yourself fit: Easy Step class aerobics works great, if you don't have time for heavy sport exercises, and so on. You don't always need mechanical devices, like ab-grinder equipment, or anything else. All you need is a platform to work with for a certain amount of time each day.

Other ideas to think about as well are doing the exercises with your family or friends. When there's someone to exercise with, the activity won't be so boring and you get to help them keep in shape and healthy too.

Keyword Articles: http://www.keywordarticles.org

Writer Sheila Ffloyd enjoys writing articles for numerous web magazines, on health question and health and wellness topics.

Does Aerobic Exercise Cause Muscle Wasting?

2008-07-14T01:29:00.000-07:00

By: Richard King

This is a claim you hear often, especially among bodybuilders, but also among some personal trainers. The most extreme version is "aerobics makes you fat", the reasoning being that it leads to loss of muscle, which lowers your metabolism, causing you to gain fat because you're now eating too much for your slow metabolism.

These types of claims are based on some truth, as we'll see, but are highly exaggerated. Your muscles are not going to waste away to nothing because you run half an hour per day.

There are some mechanisms by which aerobic exercise can interfere with muscle growth or cause actual muscle loss. The first is that concurrent aerobic exercise and strength training lead to competing adaptations in muscles. For example, steady state aerobics leads to endurance adaptations such as increased mitochondria (aerobic energy factories) and aerobic enzymes in the muscle cells, while strength training can lead to hypertrophy, or growth in muscle fibers.

The bottom line is that doing both of these activities has been shown to cut muscle growth about in half compared to just doing strength training [Docherty, 2001; Gordon, 1967]. For those of us that are doing strength training for fitness this is not a big deal, it just means it will take longer to build up muscle mass. But for bodybuilders it's interfering with proficiency in their specialty. So many bodybuilders will minimize aerobics or take measures to reduce the intereference.

I think this is where the seed of this "muscle wasting" idea was first planted. But note that aerobics in these studies has been shown to reduce the rate of muscle growth, which is a far cry from causing muscle loss. Interestingly, the opposite interference does not seem to occur: adding strength training does not interfere with cardio improvements. Many of us that are into aerobic training will supplement it with upper body strength work, and there's no problem with concurrent training in that case.

There is another way that cardio can interfere with strength training, and that can be by just taking up too much time. I remember a time when I was trying to lose weight so I did about 90 minutes a day of cardio. I tried to do a token amount of resistance training but had little time and was worn out anyway. I had much more success when I cut back to a more reasonable hour per day and left more time to lift.

There are a couple of mechanisms by which excessive aerobics can lead to actual muscle loss, however, due to overtraining and/or poor nutrition. Too much aerobics can lead to increased production of catabolic hormones like cortisol (often referred to as a "stress hormone"), which can subsequently cause breakdown of muscle tissue.

But aerobics in moderate amounts is a relaxing activity, which leads to a net decrease in cortisol. Only excessive amounts of aerobic activity leads to elevated cortisol levels in the bloodstream after the activity is complete.

A study which specifically examined how much aerobic exercise is needed found that cortisol elevations did not occur when running for 40 or 80 minutes, but only occurred in runs of two hours [Tremblay, 2005]. Ironically, high volume resistance training can cause the same effect [Stone, 1998], but I've never heard anyone being warned not to lift because it causes your muscles to waste away!

The other mechanism is that if your body does not have enough blood glucose, it can manufacture it by breaking down protein. If not enough protein is available from food, it will get it from muscle tissue [Berning, 1998]. Again this is only likely if you're training excessively, or undernourished.

The most obvious example of this is "hitting the wall" in the marathon or cyclists "bonking" on long rides. You can get irritable and have impaired judgement as the brain, which can only run on glucose, is not getting enough fuel.

I've experienced both of these and they're no fun. I don't know if my body broke down muscle for fuel but afterwards it sure felt like my muscles had been broken down, or at least beat up. But both times this occurred to me after about 3 hours of exercise without taking in any fuel.

On the other hand, many people that are into aerobics, thinking of carbs as fuel, will bump up their consumption of bad carbs like white flour products or sugary drinks or "power bars" which are basically glorified candy bars. This can lead to an unhealthy lifestyle of poor nutrition justified by overtraining.

There is a way people who do a lot of cardio can end up protein deficient: endurance exercise increases the demand for protein. You've probably heard that cardio is fueled by a mixture of carbs and fat, depending on the intensity level, but there's a small bit of protein in the mix, too. Protein is also needed to repair any tissue damage caused by the exercise [Noakes, 2004].

Strength trainers are well aware that they need more protein, but people who do cardio often are not. In addition, since many who do cardio are trying to lose weight, they're probably cutting back on calories at the same time, which if you do it by just reducing portion size can decrease protein intake. The typical recommendation for protein is 0.25-0.45 grams per pound of body weight, but endurance athletes can require more like 0.55 to 0.65 grams per pound [Sharkey, 2001].

So don't overtrain and don't underreat, and don't eat junk. Follow common sense procedures like easy day/hard day, don't do hours per day of cardio, and don't try to lose more than about a pound of weight per week. Make sure you're doing a balance of cardio and resistance training, and your muscles will be just fine.

References

-Berning, J, "Energy Intake, Diet, and Muscle Wasting", in in Overtraining in Sport, Kreider, R, Fry, A, and O'Toole, M, eds, Human Kinetics, 1998.

-Noakes, T, Lore of Running, Human Kinetics, 2002.

-Sharkey, B, Fitness and Health, Human Kinetics, 2001.

-Stone, M, and Fry, A, "Increased Training Volume in Strength/Power Athletes", in Overtraining in Sport, Kreider, R, Fry, A, and O'Toole, M, eds, Human Kinetics, 1998.

-Tremblay, M, Copeland J, and Van Helder, W, "Influence Of Exercise Duration On Post-exercise Steroid Hormone Responses In Trained Males", Eur J Appl Physiol, 94(5-6):505-13, 2005.

Keyword Articles: http://www.keywordarticles.org

I'm Richard King, 54 and a mechanical engineer with a Ph.D. from Stanford. Biking and fitness are my main hobby, and I am well versed in biomechanics and exercise physiology through many years of reading and research. My website is www.bikeandfit.com.

The Jump Rope Workout

2008-07-14T01:27:00.000-07:00

By: Jim Brown

Jump rope activity is most often associated with child play. This can be done by an individual wherein the main goal is to jump over the rope and swing it over the head in repetitive motion. This can also be done by threes as they take turns with one jumping over the swinging rope and the other two players face each other, rope in between and swinging it in unison in a clockwise or counterclockwise motion. The game will stop if a player commits a mistake, reaches a desired amount or if he or she becomes tired. Children may not see the benefits of jump ropes but this is one of the best and economical cardiovascular exercises.

The jump rope exercise is capable of burning as much as 1000 calories per hour which can be considered as a comprehensive and beneficial exercise an individual can do. It can easily be integrated with anyone's daily routine. It is not only pure exercise but also an entertaining activity as well. Jump rope exercises can tone and produce lean muscles in the major muscle groups of the body. It can optimize cardiovascular conditioning and it can also add up to the improvement of the individual's agility, body coordination, timing and endurance. A ten minute jump rope exercise can be compared to doing an eight minute mile run. The advantage of jump rope exercise over running is that it prevents knee damage which can be acquired by long term running due to the impact of the jumps that are absorbed by both legs. This exercise can also strengthen the arms and the shoulders which running exercises can somehow overlook. This exercise has been useful for athletes like boxers and wrestlers since jump rope exercises are a combination of aerobic workout and foot coordination.

The learning experience of amateur jump rope users will be built in a comfortable environment of their choice. It may be in the backyard, the living room or the bedroom. Jump rope exercises will require a minimum space of at least 3 x 4 feet of floor area. The best option for those who are engaged in jump rope exercises would be for them to go at their own pace in whatever method of style they are comfortable with.

Jump rope exercises are inexpensive because you only need the rope to be able to exercise. No more expensive gadgets to consider, just the rope, the proper apparel and the determination to do the exercise. You can practically bring a jump rope anywhere you want. Just throw it in your suitcase or back pack and you are ready to go and perform your exercise when you have the time during your out of town trips.

Jump ropes can be enjoyed by both adults and kids alike. Its doing exercise while having fun!

Keyword Articles: http://www.keywordarticles.org

James Brown writes about Proform coupons, Bowflex discount codes and DicksSportingGoods.com discounts

It Will Be A Long Painful Experience!

2008-07-14T00:48:00.000-07:00

Look After Your Feet Or It Will Be A Long Painful Experience!
By: Stephen Morgan

I remember the first day of training well. It had been an interesting experience (read euphemism for painful) as I limped into the shower afterwards. My feet were killing me, it was that simple.

All the more worrying for me afterwards was that I was committed to driving round to pick up my girl friend and anxious to make a good impression I was sure the sight of me hobbling and limping up to the front door was going to go down extremely well!

Add to the above physical pain the fact that her father who was twice my age and had already completed several marathons (I had yet to complete one) and I was potentially in for an evening of ritual humiliation that would remain with me for a long time.

As it turned out, things went better than expected, I actually got a mega load of sympathy, lots of hugs and kisses for at least trying (and that was from the dad - only joking folks) and ended up almost a hero but the real benefit of the entire evening came with some gentle constructive advice from the father whilst the girlfriend was getting ready (why do they always take so long?)

The advice came along the lines of it was pretty damn obvious to disguise the fact that I was in no small amount of pain and that it was either bucket loads of TLC, lots of alcohol or a hefty shot of painkillers was going to be what it took to get me through the night (possibly a nice combination of all three who knows?) Having established this fact and the cause of my discomfort my girlfriends father took me aside and showed me where he kept all his training gear.

Now this guy was serious about his running, he had a physique that was lean and mean, all the hallmarks of a fully paid up mountain goat and had a degree of fitness that I could only have fantasised about at the time.

His most revealing words were: Look after your feet and do not, repeat do not, go running in shoes that are not designed for the job. Sounds pretty obvious I know but as advice goes (and is it not strange how all the best advice is simple at the end of the day) it was right up there with some of the best I have ever had.

If there is one area of your running gear (and if you are going to survive out there on the roads then you have to be serious) that you cannot treat in a cavalier fashion it is with your running shoes. If you are about to set out and run hundreds of miles then the correct shoes is not only a must, it is essential.

I have a colleague of mine who is competing in this years London Marathon (2007) and he works his way through one pair of running shoes every four weeks. Now imagine when you are running that sort of distance how much damage you would do to your feet if you do not have the right shoes?

Keyword Articles: http://www.keywordarticles.org

Steve Morgan writes about a number of Internet based issues such as Running Shoes . A keen proponent of all aspects of free and independent services available, he advises clients to look at the whole range of products available online at www.cheap-sport-shoes.com

Cardio Workouts While Watching TV

2008-07-14T00:46:00.000-07:00

By: Allan Wilson

If your goal is to lose weight, you need to add some cardio to your TV watching. This next set of exercises will get your heart pumping.

Jog In Place

Jogging in place is about as simple as it gets. Make sure you have supportive shoes, and water nearby. If you're a beginner, start with jogging for 2 or 3 minutes, and increase it gradually each week.

Jump Rope

Go raid a toy box and visit a childhood favorite! Jumping rope is not only a great cardio exercise, but it's very fun. If you haven't done it in a while, it'll take some time to master, but once you do, you won't be able to stop.

Jumping Jacks

Another classic, jumping jacks are a great way to get your heart pumping. It may take a while to get your rhythm going, but that's okay. Start with 5 to 10 a day and work up from there.

Cross Leg Lifts

This exercise is much like marching in place, with a twist. Stand with your arms in front of you, elbows bent. Then, slowly at first, bring your right leg up while twisting your waist so that your left elbow touches your right knee. Alternate, and as you get the hang of it, pick up your speed.

Dance

Nothing good on TV? Turn it to your favorite music channel and dance! Not only is dancing a great way to get a cardio workout, but it does wonders for the soul.

Home fitness equipment is very popular these days. These next tips will list 4 popular exercise machines, and what areas they target.

Treadmills

Treadmills are very popular because of they're so easy to use. Most people know how to walk or run, and a treadmill is a great way to bring this exercise indoors; and maybe in front of the TV. Treadmills target your legs while giving you a great cardio workout.

Stair Steppers

Stair steppers simulate the exercise of walking up stairs. This gives your lower body a great workout, while getting your heart pumping.

Stationary Bikes

Stationary and recumbent bikes are also popular fitness machines. All of them work your legs, and there are some that work your arms as well.

Rowers

Rowing machines simulate the exercise of rowing a boat. They're great, because they work the arms, abs and back. In fact, if used regularly, rowers can provide a great whole body workout.

This last set of tips will give you some final ideas and pointers to think about as you start your exercise routine.

Commercials

If you're still overwhelmed at the aspect of exercising during your favorite TV show, try exercising just during commercials. Most shows have 3 or 4 commercials, so pick 3 or 4 exercises and do one per commercial break.

Music Channels

We already mentioned music channels. You can go a bit further, and keep your favorite music channel on while cleaning or doing other activities. Upbeat music will undoubtedly get you dancing!

Stability Ball

A stability ball is an oversized inflated ball that's sturdy enough to sit on. You can get them at any fitness store. Instead of sitting on the couch to do the exercises in this ebook, try sitting on a stability ball to do them. It will add an edge to the exercises, and help with your balance.

Stop if it Hurts

Exercising isn't supposed to hurt. It's very important that with any exercise, if it's hurting, stop immediately. You could be hurting your body more than you know. If the pain persists, go see your doctor.

Breathe

With all exercises, don't forget to breathe. Holding your breath makes it harder to exercise, and could even cause injury.

Relax

As you're exercising one part of your body, don't forget to keep the other parts of your body. For instance, when you're doing sit ups, make sure to keep your neck and shoulders relaxed.

Keyword Articles: http://www.keywordarticles.org

For more health information visit the authors site at: health tips or if you are looking for weight loss advice

How To Choose The Best Treadmills

2008-07-14T00:44:00.000-07:00

Are health concerns bothering you this new year? Do you want to lose that extra ounce of fat? Are diets and regular exercises failing to do the trick? Make a resolution to embark on the purchase of the best fitness solution ever. Find the ideal home treadmill and obtain amazing results in a short course of time. Watch it work wonders for you.

The various choices of treadmills to buy from are truly overwhelming. It is difficult really, if you are a first time buyer. So what exactly will you look for in a treadmill? Style? Looks? Features? Let us see if we could help you out a bit. Because the right choice is very important as you are probably spending a great deal of money.

Treadmills often have features to monitor cardiovascular activity. Think about this.. you need to enhance your cardiac impulses by means of a workout on a treadmill. So you need a built-in heart beat rate counter that reports to the treadmill monitor. A handgrip pulse monitor or simply wires attached to your body and the machine might do this simply. So it is an imperative to look for a feature on a treadmill that surveys cardiac activity.

Treadmill counters also often measure distance covered. If medical advice says you need to work around X miles a day, your treadmill monitor should tell you how many of the X miles you have covered. Also, you can space out your exercise schedule this way and avoid excessive workout. Plan your workout according to the miles you need to walk.

Also look for proper silencers in treadmills as unnecessary sound might just ruin your workout. Look for automatic introduction of inclines if you are advised to walk uphill (manual adjustment might just be a pain). Look for a proper soft yet tough deck to absorb impact of all the weight and stress the deck is taking. Foldable treadmills are an asset to space crunched apartments and provides for easy storage inside closets and cupboards or under the bed. Most important, look for warranty periods for over a year as you want your treadmill to last long as you have spent quite a lot for it and its quite a part of your life now.

Unnecessary budget constrictions when buying treadmills might not be advisable. Exceedingly cheap products might be lacking the durability and function needed. Also satisfy your feature requirements as they come in handy and you probably want them to make your exercise easier. Do not restrict yourself to only the cheapest possible option. Go for a treadmill that also balances your choice of requirements. Remember that, either way, you are spending a fortune for a daily requirement of yours and you would not want to discard the treadmill you buy in just a few months as that might just hamper your fitness regimen. Cost is definitely a consideration but let it not be the only consideration you make in the choice of your treadmill.

Keyword Articles: http://www.keywordarticles.org

Find a great selection of treadmills, and some really helpful information about what to look for when buying a treadmill at www.newandusedtreadmills.com

Treadmill Types Explained

2008-07-13T23:57:00.000-07:00

There won't be many who would think that there are different types of treadmills in the market. The fact is that there actually exist different types of treadmills. Most of us are familiar with the home treadmill, which is by far the most popular treadmill. Then there is the commercial treadmill that you would find in most of the gyms. If you want to buy a treadmill, the best option would be getting a home treadmill.

There are also different types of home treadmill. So, you can opt for a cheap, manual treadmill or you can opt for a high quality treadmill. But you should buy a high quality treadmill if you are thinking workouts with extensive running and cross training. The market for treadmills is very competitive and there are virtually hundreds of different brands selling you different types of treadmills. It would really be a tough task deciding on any one type from any one company.

Almost all of us feel a space crunch in our homes and that is why folding home treadmills are much preferred. You can easily fold it up and put it in a closet or under the bed. But you would find that such treadmill doesn't have the same solid feel as other treadmills. As discussed earlier, there are the commercial treadmills that are generally found in gyms or at doctor's clinics.

Commercial treadmills generally have comparatively higher-powered motors and also have more horsepower as compared to home treadmills. As for looks, commercial treadmills look very bulky and very rugged. It also looks very stable. More often than not, opting for commercial treadmills is generally not the best option.

Since the commercial treadmill is generally put to very extreme of usage, that is why its warranty is generally up to 3 to 4 years. It is very much advised that if you are thinking of any commercial usage of your treadmill, you should always opt for commercial treadmills. But you can always find some home treadmills that could be put to light commercial use, such as small hotel gyms. But you should always have a look at the warranty papers.

Any decision that you would make regarding treadmills would depend on your requirements. So, if you are just intending to use it for walking yourself, you can always opt for cheaper as well as smaller treadmills. That would suit you fine. But if you are someone who could be termed as an avid runner, it is always better to opt for high quality and relatively expensive home treadmills with longer warranties.

The only difference between these home treadmills is the length of warranty that is being provided and the usage that you could put it to. With high quality treadmills, you get a longer duration warranty and even if you put it to extensive use, you would find that the treadmill works just as well. So, finally, it all depends on your own requirements.

Keyword Articles: http://www.keywordarticles.org

Find a great selection of treadmills, and some really helpful information about what to look for when buying a treadmill at www.newandusedtreadmills.com

The Perfect Treadmill For Your Needs

2008-07-13T23:56:00.000-07:00

Find The Perfect Treadmill For Your Needs

In the course of a simple workout on a treadmill, it is amazing the number of things you can continue doing. You could watch TV, listen to music on your personal system, read books or even monitor your kids - all this while working out.

Treadmills could be foldable or adjustable to fit your limited space in an apartment or room. The origin of the modern treadmill can be traced back to the manually operated machine used to grind grain by stepping on a lever. On the treadmill, take care to not take a wrong step as your feet support 2.5 times your body weight as you toil on the deck.

The better treadmills have larger motors for longevity and minimal maintenance. Health monitors, like heart beat counters, are often built into the mills, wires clipped onto ears or, often, for best evaluation, to the chest to report to the counters and the monitors flash the counts. Also, there are even additional features on offer like built-in music systems or cup holders or even coolers and fans.

Intense workouts involve steeper decks to run on. To increase stress levels, extra features to add inclines to treadmills, introduce uphill running or jogging. So choose treadmills with adjustable inclines.
More features on the treadmill of your choice might include monitors for the heart or automatic stops, detecting slips on treadmills from built-in sensors. These enhance the safety options on your treadmill.
The choice of power levels for your treadmill are dependant on your physical requirements. If you are looking to use the mill mostly for walking, do not go for a treadmill with a motor that demands more than 1.5-3 horsepower continuously. Treadmills available in gyms and health clubs can often be customized for home use by their manufacturers.

For heavy usage along with concentrated exercise, choose a treadmill with greater power specifications and stress bearing levels. These might be expensive. Noise reduction should be paid attention to as in the course of workouts, noise can be quite annoying. Look for treadmills with sufficient silencers. Most important, go for the steadiest and most reliable treadmill with lots of endurance.

A greater warranty period offered should be a prime concern when buying a treadmill. One with a heart rate monitor is definitely handy for health concerns. Online purchases are easy on the pocket and time spent to make choices.

With greater options to vary inclines treadmills are more effective but are also highly priced. Go online and compare price catalogues after making all choices of features that you desire to accompany your home treadmill.

Consult all concerned in the family while purchasing a treadmill. Consider all their choices, try to match up yours to theirs. Remember to look for a warranty period that is definitely more than a year to accompany your treadmill.

Do consult your physician or a trainer before deciding on your own fitness regimen. But invariably, a treadmill is a better option than complicated cardiovascular exercises that are unnecessarily stressful. A jog on the treadmill is definitely more useful.

A home treadmill would ensure more regular exercising. Walking is quite a wholesome fitness regimen, if on the treadmill it is more useful. Use various customized programs on your treadmill to regulate your exercises for best results.

Buying a treadmill is not very different. Go ahead and take your pick. It involves major spending, so be careful. Now you have quite a few guidelines. Research more for more of them.

Mp3 Player To Use While Exercising

2008-07-13T23:54:00.000-07:00

What Is The Best Type Of Mp3 Player To Use While Exercising
By: Douglas Taylor

So what should I considering when I am looking for what is the best mp3 player to use while exercising? In this article we will look at some of the different types of mp3 players that are suitable for using when exercising.

However, one of the most important features that you should look for in a good mp3 player to use when doing any form of exercise is a small one. Even those with a memory of about 2gb can easily contain over 400 songs on them without you having to carry any extra weight around.

Below we provide details on a number of the different mp3 players we consider are the best to be used when carrying out any form of exercise.

1. Rio Forge Sport
This is small enough that it will fit into the palm of your hand and it also includes an FM radio that allows you to record songs from the radio and listen to them later on. It also comes with a stopwatch, which can be used even when you are listening to your music. Another advantage of this particular mp3 player is that the menu on it is easy to navigate and the desktop software that comes with it is simple and easy to use as well.

2. Apple iPod Mini
Apple is known for being the leaders in the mp3 player market and the mini iPod is no exception to the family. This is particularly good for people who exercise as it only weighs 3.6 ounces and is smaller than a cell phone. But the biggest benefit of all to be had from this particular mp3 player is it has 4gb memory and so can store more than 1,000 songs on it as well as offering the user 25 minutes of skip protection.

3. Apple iPod Shuffle
There is another great mp3 player that is part of the Apple iPod family. This player may be better than the iPod mini as it is even smaller (about the size of a pack of gum) and it has some great features also. What this particular iPod mp3 player does is allows the user to shuffle all the music in their library in to any order they want so they will never know which tune is going to play next. But apart from this the Shuffle comes with all the other features to be found on the other mp3 players in the iPod family.

4. Creative MuVo
This is the final mp3 player that we are looking at and it weighs a staggering 1.1-ounce (without the battery). So it is the smallest of them all. Also it comes in a variety of memory choices starting at 128mb and going up to 1gb as well as having skip free technology.

So really what is the best mp3 player to use while exercising? I suppose at the end of the day it is all boils down to a person's own personal preference as to how much your player weighs and how much music will it hold.

Keyword Articles: http://www.keywordarticles.org

For more information on how to find the MP3 player that is right for you. try visiting www.streamingaudio101.com where you will find tips, advice and resources about topics such as the top ten ipod stereo accessories.

Untangle Emotional Overeating and Overspending

2008-07-13T23:53:00.000-07:00

Untangle Emotional Overeating and Overspending And Become More "User-friendly" Toward Yourself
By: Luise Volta

Many of us have a variety of hidden emotional barometer that is all too easy to read in our behaviors. Yet we often don't see the connection between how we feel and how we act until we are, yet again, at the effect of some variety of overindulgence. Then we have to wonder how making ourselves feel so rotten seemed to be the cure for feeling so rotten. Truth be told, action and reaction often need to be sorted out.

Seminars galore address this issue, yet successful seminar leaders like Geneen Roth whose "Food Is Food and Love Is Love" seminars have drawn thousands over the last three decades are quick to say that they all too often see the same faces out there in the audience again and again.

Bookstore shelves are overflowing with handy, "How To" missals promising relief from what...our selves? How can anyone promise us that we will stop doing what we always do and start doing something else? It seems that not only do the hundreds of self-help books out there say just that, a huge amount of money is involved in the telling and selling.

We always have the time-worm solution of standing up and being counted. If we can once we get past the latest shortcut, we can still decide to take the long, slow route of being responsible for our own well-being. What a novel concept! Right?

The first indicator is often missed or seen and ignored. It's how we feel at any given moment. Our behavior is often pretty predictable. If we are willing to take a look at feeling a little too "high", we can wonder why and maybe put our guard up regarding the guaranteed spiral downward that will eventually follow. Elation is fun and depression isn't...for most of us. We can't always stay on an even keel and who really wants too? My point is that we can learn to do a better job of monitoring ourselves and have some antidotes ready.

Exercise is one of the best levelers there is. A good strong power-walk with a personally programmed iPod that offers 126 beats a minute, (or more if you can hack it), can change the world, as perceived at any given moment. There is a lot of power walking music available on the web for all ages and tastes that can make it fun. We're not taking saunter here...that's the reason for the "power" prefix.

Once aerobic walking is taken on and practiced regularly it's possible to adjust the practice to our own body rhythms. Some of us need to do it early in the day and before eating. I do. I've noticed that once my mind starts taking over, my body doesn't get the consideration it deserves. Psychologically, a win under my belt at the beginning of the day sets a nice pace. Adding Yoga also works well for many of us.

Just being aware of our feelings is a start toward seeing what they promote. Eating when we're not hungry and spending when we don't need the article or can't afford it are red flags. They can offer a euphoric sense of being loved that doesn't even consider indigestion, weight gain, and/or having nightmares about bankruptcy. Noting fluctuating feelings can alert us to the possibility of making better choices by deciding to sidestep doing what doesn't work. Sometimes just stopping for a bit and taking a break with a tall glass of cool water and a good book can do it.

Our "out" is to get to know our selves better and to support our selves more intelligently. Try this "what if". What if you were your own best friend?

Keyword Articles: http://www.keywordarticles.org

Luise Volta's life has included careers in nursing, teaching pre-school, interior design, Real Estate sales, insurance adjusting, and dairy herd testing. Visit for Nutrition and Health.