6 Fun Fitness Activities... by: Kathy Burns-Millyard

Exercising and staying fit doesn't have to mean hard work. Simply being active will help you get or stay in good shape. So with that said, here are some enjoyable activities that can help with your fitness goals too. Bicycling When you ask many adults when the last time they rode a bike is, they cannot answer. Although bicycling is a favorite pastime, many adults do not take advantage of this great option for exercise. Not only does bike riding exercise the body and build a stronger cardiovascular system, it allows you to get out and enjoy nature, fresh air, and see new sites. Jogging or Walking Both jogging and walking are GREAT ways to get fit. Not only do they tone the muscles, relieve stress, create a healthier heart, and improve lung capability, they make you look wonderful, which in turns helps you get excited about doing other exercise for fitness activities. Swimming Swimming is an excellent way to get into and stay in shape. If you do not own a pool, many high schools have aquatic centers, or there is always the YWCA or YMCA, or your local gym. Many offer water aerobic classes that will help you tighten your body, lose weight, and get a good overall workout. Tennis Anyone? Tennis is not only a fun sport, but also a great way to exercise. You do not have to be a Venice Williams to play; in fact, you do not even have to be good. Just running after the ball alone will help get you into shape. This is a great way to strengthen your cardiovascular system and lose weight. You can find tennis courts in just about every city and if you would like to play but have no idea how, lessons are reasonable. Tip: Raquetball is sort of a "one person tennis". If you don't have someone to play tennis with, or you aren't feeling sociable, try raquetball instead. Dancing Dancing is so much fun and whether you enjoy a slow, Ballroom dance or a nightclub packed with people all moving to heart-pumping techno, as long as you are moving, it really does not matter what type of dance or music. The whole idea is to move your body. Dancing has long been recommended as an avenue to fitness. Tip: Belly Dancing is an excellent workout for your stomach, waist and hips ladies! VCR If you have a VCR or DVD, rather than just using it for your favorite comedy or action-packed movie, try sticking in some good workout tapes. Even taking 15 minutes every day to work out will get you started. Try that for two weeks and you will be surprised at the results. Once you see that 15 minutes a day makes a difference, you will be encouraged to increase the time spent. And one of my personal favorites... Yardwork! Whether you're pulling weeds, planting flowers, mowing the grass or chopping wood: All of these activities can help you get into better shape. Don't cheat yourself though. Using a riding mower to cut the grass won't help you use the muscles or get your blood pumping ;) So go out and get active, have fun, and work on getting or staying fit too!

5 Ways To Stay Motivated by: Tracie Johanson

Do you remember the day you first joined your gym? Wasn't it a great feeling, knowing that you had finally taken that first step towards living a healthier life? Making a conscious, positive decision to improve is rewarding, and hopefully we've all kept that promise to ourselves. But try as we might, it seems that there's always a handy excuse to not exercise. While gym attendance peaks around January, it slacks off every March/April as people forget about their New Year Resolutions. Summer BBQ's and vacations tend to make people stay away from the gym, and six months later holiday parties and planning to the same thing. Finally, we can all relate to those days when we simply don't want to work out! The International Health, Racquet & Sportsclub Association, a trade association serving the health and fitness club industry, reports that the average health club member in the United States spends only about 90 days at the gym per year. The goal of this article is to help you STAY MOTIVATED to exercise! It's not enough to just help you with the 'how' of exercise – we want to help you with the 'why' too! So what can you do to stay motivated? Here are five great ideas to help us all keep that inner fire burning….. 1) Find an exercise buddy! When we know that someone else is going to meet us at the gym at a certain time, we will automatically be much more likely to show up ourselves. After all, who wants to abandon their friend? Don’t have a friend at the gym? Invite one along! She will appreciate the invitation, and will be much healthier for it! 2) Get to know people in the gym! Visiting with friends and family while we're exercising makes the time go by so fast it hardly even seems like we're doing something good for us. It's great to get out of the house or office and just have some fun with other people! 3) Talk with your doctor! We all know that exercise is good for us. From helping to prevent cancer to lowering our blood pressure to helping us fit into that swimming suit, exercise is the best thing we can do for ourselves. Even with that knowledge, it's sometimes encouraging to hear about our progress from our doctor. Here's a hot motivation tip: ask your gym for a copy of your fitness records (monthly body fat analysis and measurements) and then share that information with your doctor. He or she will be so happy that you're exercising, and will encourage you to continue! 4) Chart your progress! The CEO of a Fortune 500 company once said "What gets measured gets done", and that advice is as good for us as it was for that business. Take the time to keep a food journal, an exercise log, or simply write down your fitness goals. Post it where you will see it every single day (on the 'fridge, in the car, on the mirror, etc.). Life is just so busy these days, a constant visual reminder of our goals may be just the motivational push we need. 5) Give yourself a reward! Sometimes the 'big picture' can be too intimidating. For example, if you have 80 pounds to lose it's tempting to think "It’s too much! I shouldn’t even try." That’s one of the biggest motivation-killers out there, so combat those discouraging thoughts by rewarding yourself for smaller accomplishments. Treat yourself to a manicure when you lose that first five pounds. Buy a new outfit when you've lost ten pounds. Take a mini-vacation when you're halfway to your goal. Give yourself small rewards for achieving smaller goals, and guess what.....many small steps make up a long journey! Before you know it, you'll have accomplished your overall goal! There are many other ways to give yourself the motivation to succeed. Try some of these tips today – the only thing you have to lose is the fat!

5 Sure-Fire Tips To Save You $1000's On Your Home Gym by: Dean Iggo

It always amazes me when people say "Home Gyms are expensive! I just don't have $1000's of dollars lying about" These people obviously haven't looked very hard because nowadays home gym equipment doesn't have to cost 2, 3 or even $4000 dollars. Below are 5 great alternatives that won't cost you the earth but can do just a good a job as many of the commercial fitness equipment found in local gyms. 1. Dumbbells For resistance weight training you can't go past dumbbells for their practicality and versatility. You can perform any number of exercises with dumbbells that even the more expensive weight machines can't do. These days you can get adjustable dumbbells which allow you to use add or remove weight from a single dumbbell with a simple pin, just like with traditional pin loaded weight machines. This feature means you don't have to buy different weight dumbbells for different exercises and you save on floor space which can be used for cardio equipment like ellipticals or treadmills. You can easily get a good quality quick change dumbbell set for less than $500. At that price you'd be silly to spend money on larger, muscle specific equipment even if you did have extra cash floating around. 2. Remanufactured A lot of people these days are buying remanufactured exercise equipment, and for good reason. Remanufacturing involves taking a used machine and completely restoring it with new parts to make it look, feel and function like a new machine. Often the only part of the equipment that is not brand new is the frame. By buying remanufactured or refurbished fitness equipment you can realistically save 50% off the normal, new retail price. 3. Used Buying used or second-hand equipment can be a cost effective way of setting up your home gym. The only problem is you don't know how the previous owner treated the machine and if it has any problems. The last thing you want is for the machine to breakdown 6 weeks after buying it and finding out that it's not covered by warranty. Sometimes the actual machine may seem like a bargain but future unforeseen expenses may make you regret your purchase. If at all possible get to test drive the machine and ask about the warranty. 4. Buy direct from the factory Some online stores offer factory direct fitness equipment. By doing this you cut out the middle man and save big time. Remember just because it is cheap doesn't mean its poor quality. With so much competition online these days online suppliers are cutting costs to get market share. That means more money in your pocket!! 5. Added bonuses from reputable online suppliers Some online suppliers will include free shipping with their products. This can greatly reduce the cost of piece of equipment if you add delivery to it. Also make sure you check out the machines warranty. You can save yourself a lot of heart ache down the road if you make sure you're covered by a decent warranty which included motor, parts and labor. Look for at least 6 months for parts and labor and 1 year for the motor for remanufactured equipment and 1-2 years parts, labor and motor for new equipment. Now that you are armed with this information go and have a look around yourself you'll be surprised at what you find!

5 Quick and Easy Fun Ways to Get in Shape by: Emily Clark

Getting and staying in shape doesn’t have to be dull and boring! 
Try some of these fun fitness activities to make your workout 
time more enjoyable. 

MUSICAL EXERCIES – Put on your favorite music and do some yoga! 
No need for slow, elevator music. Move to your favorite beat. Or 
pop on the headphones or earphones and grab your MP3 or cassette 
player or handheld PC and bike to a nearby park. Too cold or 
rainy? Then head to a mall or other enclosed area where you can 
walk. Caution: make sure you are alert while listening to music 
with headphones or earphones. 

FUN IN THE SUN – Check out the latest tanning solutions and try 
fun, scented versions with funky, multi-colored sunglasses. Grab 
your cassette player or MP3 player and favorite tunes. And pack 
some flavored water, new flavored health bar that you’ve been 
dying to try and some frozen berries in your carryall for breaks 
and have a “sense”-ational time. 

FITNESS CLASSES – Try out a new fitness class for fun. Enjoy a 
full water aerobics workout with less stress on your joints. Grab 
some colorful water gear and swim to the beat. Or try a dance or 
Jazzercise routine. No need to commit long-term, just ask about 
popping in for a class or two to check it out and enjoy. Meet new 
friends and get fit all at once. 

VCR / DVD – Head to the library or local rental store and grab a 
fun fitness video or DVD. Crank up the sound when your favorite 
tunes come on and join the taped workout participants in the 
privacy of your own home. 

GYM / FITNESS CENTER – Dig out those coupons you’ve been 
receiving in envelop mailers and those money saving coupon 
magazines. Again, no need to commit long-term. Just head on over 
and use the free or low-cost trial / invitational period and 
enjoy! 

JOURNALING – Spice up your logging routine with an inexpensive 
new journal from a discount or dollar store nearby. Crate snazzy 
charts with colored markers. Add bright colored stickers for each 
workout. Paste or tape clipped pictures of your goals throughout 
the covers and inside sections. For example, paste pictures of 
that vacation spot you want to travel to with your new, healthy 
YOU wearing a new swimsuit. 

So add some fun in with your fitness activities. Wake up your 
senses with new taste, smells, sights, touches and sounds. Forget 
that “All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy” stuff. Workouts 
plus play make Jack a fun, fit boy! 

The information contained in this article is for educational purposes 
only and is not intended to medically diagnose, treat or cure any 
disease. Consult a health care practitioner before beginning any 
health care program. 

5 Big Reasons to Buy Adjustable Dumbbells by: Dean Iggo

Just imagine if you could replace a room full of weight machines with one piece of fitness equipment without it costing you an arm or a leg! Well adjustable dumbbells might just be the solution you've been looking for. Adjustable dumbbells are one of the best investments you can make in your home gym. If you still need convincing, check out the following 5 reasons why you need to grab your own adjustable dumbbell set. 1. Range of exercises One of the main advantages of dumbbells over traditional weight machines is that you can perform a number of different exercises without changing machines. You can easily change from doing bicep curls to tricep kickbacks just by changing your body position. So instead of buying 4 different machines to get a total body workout you just need one adjustable dumbbell set. 2. Price If you look around today you could easily spend $1000's of dollars on different pieces of exercise equipment just to work different muscle groups. Surprisingly you can get a set of adjustable dumbbells for only $200-$300 depending on the weight of the set. Considering the range of exercises you can perform this is fantastic value for money! Compare this price to your local gym membership and you'll quickly see why this is such good value. 3. Convenience of adjustability This is what makes adjustable dumbbells so great and what differentiates them from traditional dumbbells. By using a simple quick change pin you can instantly change from one dumbbell weight to the next. Think of it like a pin loaded weight machine but with dumbbells. Because you change the dumbbell weight with a pin you don't need a room full of dumbbells which can get in the way and cost a lot of money. 4. Space Unlike traditional dumbbells which need a dumbbell rack and lots of space to store, adjustable dumbbells sit on a stand so can be tucked away in the corner of a room. That way you can leave more space for the larger fitness equipment like ellipticals or treadmills. If you have been putting off building your home gym because of a lack of space you now have no excuse!! 5. Maximum Muscular development Dumbbells, also known as free weights, are the best for maximizing muscular development. Because they are less stable than machine weights you have to use more muscles (stabilizing muscles) to help support the weight and exercise with proper form. If you have every tried performing both a traditional bench press and a dumbbell press you'll know that using dumbbells are a lot harder. A person who can bench press 200lb x 8 reps with a traditional bar might only be able to do 160lb (80lb per hand) x 8 reps with dumbbells simple because you have to work harder to stabilize the weight. So there you have it. What excuses do you have now? Make a smart decision and put adjustable dumbbells at top of your home gym priority list.

2-Minute Fitness by: Sanjib Ahmad

Why would I want to write about yet another fitness program? There are so many out there. There is no escape from fitness programs whether you watch TV or read a magazine or newspaper. The reality is that most of us are not happy with our physical state and we are looking for solutions. We are not only looking for solutions, we are actually paying for them. This creates the natural demand for physical fitness programs. The variety of physical fitness programs does not indicate that one method is better than the other. Like neither is Coke better than Sprite nor Sprite better than Coke. It's a matter of preference and either one of them could quench your thirst. Variety is good. It gives us the freedom to choose. In spite of having a good supply of effective fitness programs and variety, I think the failure to benefit from such programs lie in us. We are not organized enough or do not have the time to practice them. Because of our work and careers the time investment becomes difficult. I remember the last time I enrolled in a Martial Arts course. After a few weeks I could not keep up with it because it required 2 hours of classes, 3 days a week. That's only 6 hours a week. Yet I could not find time for Martial Arts from my daily work schedule. That is the reason why the 2-minute fitness program caught my attention. Anyone can afford to spend 2 minutes. Tony Bahu founder of the 2-minute fitness program provides a full workout composed of minutes only. If you failed earlier in elaborate fitness programs, the 2-minute fitness program may be the right program for you. As you don't have to invest large amounts of time in the program, you will probably not give up so easily. More information about the program can be found here: http://health-fitness.marc8.com/ebook-info.php/name/2_minute_fitness/toc_id/6-0-11-17