According to the American Heart Association, duration of exercise depends greatly on intensity and type of exercise. If you are exercising harder you need less time but their lowest recommendation is 30 minutes of moderate aerobic exercise five days a week. Keep in mind that this is the lowest recommendation and will result in the least benefit. Increasing the duration of your exercises will increase the benefits you will reap. More
Fitness experts used to believe that in order to be fit and healthy, you had to get your heart rate up to a certain point for 20 minutes at least three times a week. But the most recent research is showing us that this just isn’t accurate. For example, researchers at the University of Utah recently found that small amounts of movement and exercise all throughout the week can lead to improved health. They found that even small amounts of exercise for a few minutes here, like taking the stairs, or a few minutes there, such as parking at the far end of the parking lot, contributed to the total minutes of health required in a week. In other words, there really isn’t a “20 minute minimum” like we used to think. More
It’s a common problem — especially if you work hard all day and come home tired. And you obviously know exercise is important for your health—for maintaining a healthy body weight, lean muscle, and a positive mood… yet something still keeps you from finding the time and motivation to fit in your workout.
So, here’s the key: it all comes down to evaluating your mindset and perspective about exercise. Let’s break it down:
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The fastest growing segment of the supplement industry right now has got to be pre-workout drinks. According to one industry insider I talked to at FitCon, “Everybody’s using them.” Well, I think he’s right.
I know I am. And I have for some time. When I was getting ready for the national championships in Olympic distance triathlon, my coach gave me 3 months worth of pre and post workout supplements. I had never used them before, but boy was I hooked! The very first day I took the pre workout I could feel the difference. I felt stronger, could work harder, and just generally felt better during my workout. I took them from then on. The only problem was the one I took preparing for nationals was $3 a dose… way to expensive. More
Wondering about the best natural ways to lose belly fat for good? First, let’s get realistic.
The truth is that you can’t simply spot-reduce belly fat or do hundreds of crunches to make it go away. Belly fat is more closely tied with the lifestyle choices you make everyday.
And this is actually a good thing. You can sidestep all of those myths about quick six pack abs and start doing things that will actually work long-term. In fact, everyone has at least a little belly fat. But too much can increase your chances of illness and disease. More
The truth is, though… the perfect exercise is not the same for everyone! And we now know that what matters most is how much exercise you get overall throughout the week. So in order to be consistent, you want to find effective movements you can do easily—and enjoy doing!
That being said, there are definitely certain exercises that are most effective for getting a good burn and seeing more results in a smaller amount of time. That’s why, in this article, we’ll give you some specific best calorie burning exercises you can try to add into your routine. More
Out of all the body areas you can target when working out, core muscle exercises tend to be one of the least popular. That’s mostly because endless sit ups and crunches usually come to mind, but the good news is that there are much better ways to workout your ab muscles without doing a million crunches.
If you want to work your core efficiently without getting bored or frustrated with your efforts, try using an exercise ball (also known as a stability ball). Exercise balls add an extra challenge to your workout, and because you have to focus on keeping the ball steady, you work not only your abs but also the core muscles of your back and pelvis. Depending on the exercise, you can give yourself a full-body workout with an exercise ball.
You’ll also build up your stability—which is really important for everyday function and injury prevention. That’s why the best core exercises are ones that incorporate other muscle groups at the same time. Functional fitness—the type that helps you continue to do fun things and prevent injury as you age—is always working the core at the same time as other muscle groups More
Are you feeling frustrated with the quality of your workout results? Are things not changing as quickly as you’d like? If so, you’re definitely not alone. Even athletes that have been doing their sport for years will experience plateaus in their workout results.
It can be a really annoying situation—putting in so much effort each day without much to show for it, or getting bored with what you’re currently doing so your workout isn’t as exciting anymore. If this sounds like you, it’s likely you’ve hit a workout plateau. But don’t worry! There are some awesome tactics for breaking free of the stagnation and taking your workout results to the next level. More
When most people think about the benefits of aerobic exercise, the first thought is weight loss and looking better. And while that is a great benefit of moving your body each day, the more immediate benefits of exercise shouldn’t be overlooked.
When you do cardio, also known as aerobic exercise, it changes how you feel too—and quickly. More