Walking to Lose Weight Tips

Have you been thinking about walking to lose weight? It seems like every few years, walking becomes a popular method for weight loss. This popularity cycles with it eventually falling into obscurity before reemerging as the "newest way to lose weight".

There is no doubt that walking (and just about any regular exercise) is going to help you progress toward your fat loss goals. Below are some tips that you can use if you're considering this exercise method:

#1 - Get a Partner

Having a partner to walk with is definitely a plus. You'll have someone to keep you company and talk with so that the exercise isn't so solitary. Also, having a partner will help you to take your mind off of the walking itself.

Additionally, there's nothing like feeling responsible for someone else to keep you motivated. Knowing that someone else is relying on your participation for their workout will help you to keep up with your walking routine on those rainy days.

#2 - Get Great Shoes

Nothing puts a damper on walking to lose weight like blisters. The pain from a single blister may keep you from doing any brisk walking for weeks. Make sure you find a great pair of comfortable shoes that fit properly before you start your walking program.

#3 - Be Consistent

It may take a while to see results from your walking program so it is important to be consistent. Set certain days and times to walk and stick to them. Make no exceptions outside of emergencies and set up your schedule to work around your walking program.

It will be consistency and focus that will provide you with the results you want!

It Works - But is it Efficient?

As stated earlier, just about any regular exercise will help you lose weight. However, there are some exercises that are more efficient (or work better) than others. When it comes to walking and other cardio-based exercises, the reality is that there is a better way to go about meeting your weight loss goals.

For example, walking will burn calories during the activity and a little while afterward. However, the muscle built from walking is usually not significant enough to boost your metabolism levels. By contrast, incorporating a weight lifting element to your workouts will help you to build muscle, tone your "trouble areas", and increases your metabolism so that your body automatically burns more calories - even at a completely rested state!

Cardio and walking to lose weight is definitely important for overall fitness but be sure to incorporate some weight lifting into your workouts. You'll find that you will meet your goals much faster and your body will have that sexy, fit look that you have always wanted!

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Weight Training Philosophy and Safety Tips

There are several ways to workout your muscles. One way is through weight training. Weight training involves lifting heavy and light weights to beef up and define the muscles. It uses sets and repetitions.

Sets are composed of repetitive motions. Repetitions are the number of times you repeat a motion. One set may be composed of ten or more repetitions. For example, one set of biceps curls may consist of one to thirty repetitions.

A weightlifting program usually consists of two to four sets, with ten repetitions each. A beginner may begin with light weights, doing 2 sets with ten repetitions for every lifting technique. As he advances, he may increase the weight a little and do three then four sets as he goes.

Lifting for Bulk

Bulk is a term for the muscle mass in you. When you have a slender or trim body figure, your trainer may want to beef up the muscles in you. So gradually, he will make you workout for bulk. He will show you how to carry heavy plates and how to increase the weight gradually. An ideal program would consist of four sets of each exercise, with 10 repetitions each set. Also important when working out for bulk is increasing your calorie intake so your muscles have extra substance to use to grow on.

When you have the bulk built up in your muscles, then your trainer may tell you to increase the repetitions with lighter weights for muscle endurance.

Lifting for Definition

When you are flabby or obese, you need to trim down first. Fat must be burned first before muscles should be bulked up. Aside from aerobics, your trainer may have you do four sets of more than ten repetitions using very light weights. This is for you to build muscle endurance and help burn more fat. When you have trimmed down, your trainer may have you train for bulk. After you have produced the muscle mass, that's the time you focus on muscle definition.

Definition is the act of reducing your body-fat percentage so your muscles take on a more clear or defined look. They would no longer appear as mere lumps; but their stripped form would outline or define their appearance. When you have both bulk and definition, that's when your biceps, triceps, abdominals, chest, and other muscle parts become readily seen and identified.

USING BARBELLS

Lifting barbells is a popular method of fully developing the muscles in bulk and definition. The earliest and crudest form of weightlifting involved carrying small boulders that a trainee could hold or embrace in his arms. Later, a bar with concrete bells on both ends was conceived. Steel barbells and dumbbells were used much later, but they came as a whole piece. The plates were not yet removable.

Today, modern barbells come in stainless bars with removable steel plates and clamps. The steel plates are also applicable in modern machine pulleys that make weight lifting more comfortable and more versatile.

Loading weights on a bar

Load a weight plate by placing one on the right end of the bar, and then one on the left end. This is to maintain balance. Never finish loading an end before you load the other end. This will tilt the bar and release the weight plates from the loaded end. This is dangerous. Also, make sure the clamps securing the ends are always locked against the weight plates after the weight plates have been completely loaded.

Loading weight plates when the bar is on the floor is safer. Load it any way you want. Just make sure that the clamps or clips are locked after loading. However, never load on the floor when you intend to mount the barbell on your shoulders. Use the two upright rods for this.

Distribute the weights evenly on each of the bar's ends. Say you want to use 20 pounds of weights. This means on one end of the bar you load up one 10-pound plate, and another 10-pound plate on the other end. If you want to use 40 pounds of weights, you load one 20-pound plate on one end of the bar, and another 20-pound plate on the other end. You may also choose to use two 10-pound plates on one end, and another pair of 10-pound plates on the other. Thus, you have a total 40 pounds.

Always remember this golden rule; never load two 10-pound plates on one end of the bar and one 20-pound plate on the other. Always use the same weight plate scheme on both sides of the bar for maximum displacement of balance of the bar.

Jim O'Neill is a certified personal fitness trainer and also holds a sports nutrition certification. He has been helping people successfully achieve their weight loss and fitness goals for over 15 years by staying on the cutting edge of weight loss and fitness technology. To learn more about how you can benefit from his easy to use weight loss and fitness programs go to: http://www.mrgymfitness.com/minicourse.php

Weight Training With Kettlebells

You may be asking yourself "What the heck is a kettlebell?" Think cannonball -- with a handle attached. I started kettlebell training a few weeks ago with my friend. I showed up to my first day of training and I learned all about the finer points of mastering this new sport. My buddy showed me some of the basics and before long I was sweating like crazy. What a great workout!

Over the last few weeks I have learned a few techniques. The first thing I learned was the two arm kettlebell swing. You just swing the kettlebell between your legs while squatting up and down. Up. Down. Swing. Up. Down. Swing. It was a great workout on my legs. Next I learned the single arm kettlebell swing. Its the same as the 2 arm swing except you use one hand and eventually you have to learn how to switch hands in mid-flight. I had a few failed attempts before I mastered it. Word of warning -- leave a lot of space between you and other training partners to avoid injury and death.

In the last week I have learned the Sumo Squat and Turkish Get-Up. Being a big guy myself I naturally gravitated to the Sumo Squat and thought I was pretty good at it. I use a massive kettlebell for it which I have affectionately named "Big Blue". The Turkish Get-Up was a bit more complicated as you start with your back on the floor and a weight in your hand and eventually work yourself into a standing position with the weight above your head.

When we do our workout we have two different types of routines. One is more aerobic and the other is more focussed on strength. I personally prefer the strength days with heavy weights while my partner prefers the aerobic training. Kettlebell is a great exercise for all body types. I personally consider it as a "fun" version of weight lifting as it builds camaraderie as you do the exercises together with a partner. I am really amazed at all the different exercises you can do with the kettlebell and as it is very similar to free-weight training it has the same effect of building all of the smaller stabilizer muscles that "machines" are not as effective at. I find that since many of the exercises involve using your legs to get the kettlebell swinging that it really is a great way of burning calories as the legs have large muscles.

In my twenties I did a lot of weight lifting with free weights and machines. I think free weights and kettlebell training are very similar types of activities and you can benefit equally from either one. The important thing is to do something that you really enjoy so you can stick with it.

Amadeus enjoys writing articles about things that he is currently interested in. He writes for several websites including one about Air Mattress Beds and some of the better known air bed brands like the Spring Air Mattress

Wellness by Exercise

The human body is designed to be worked. The muscles, including the heart, need to be used. If muscles are not used they atrophy. To maintain strength the muscles need to be challenged through exercise. Exercise can take many forms. The most effective exercise programs are those that a person enjoys enough to do on a daily basis for 30 to 60 minutes. Cardiovascular exercise such as walking, jogging, dancing or hiking can be alternated with resistance training exercises such a weight lifting to give the body variety. The best exercises are those that work different muscles in different ways and challenge the body in a variety of ways. Interval training which incorporates cardiovascular exercise with weight bearing exercise is very effective for this reason.

The reason people don't exercise enough is because the exercise they have chosen is not fun. Fun does not mean easy, it means that even when the work out is tough it is enjoyable.

The first step to setting up a wellness program through exercise is to form the intention to exercise consistently. Choose your exercises to suit you and your lifestyle, and create a written plan for your exercise program.

Equally important to setting up your exercise program is to create and plan your meal program. Food serves two purposes. It:

provides the essential vitamins, minerals and vital nutrients needed by the body to keep it healthy and disease free
provides calories which the body uses as fuel in order to expend energy

It is vital that the body not only receive the right foods to feed the body's' cells, but it must also receive enough of the right foods. For example, a person who is weight lifting will need to consume an appropriate amount of protein, such as meat or fish, to help build muscle tissue that is being repaired and replaced. An athlete that wants to perform well in a cardiovascular activity is wise to consume a suitable amount of carbohydrates, such as pasta, a suitable amount of time before his activity, to expect the endurance required in an excellent performance.

One of the biggest problems in our society today is that we are consuming too many calories and the wrong types of calories for the energy we expend on a daily basis. Calories unused are then stored as fat.

Beginning an exercise program can feel overwhelming so it is important to start out slowly. Don't try to jog 3 miles on your first day. Start out on a walking program first. Plan to exercise at least 30 minutes each day. If 30 consecutive minutes is too difficult, break it up into three -- ten minute sessions. As you get stronger, increase the time and level of difficulty. Each workout should be preceded by a warm up and followed by a cool down which often involves stretches to prevent injuries to muscles, tendons, ligaments and joints. If you are exercising effectively you should experience an increase in your heart rate and it is a good thing to break out into a sweat. If you have any health concerns, consult with your doctor before beginning. Your exercise program should be challenging, but safe.

Keep a daily log of your exercises. It is motivating to observe your own progress. Imagine the encouragement one would receive from starting out walking one block a day to logging a total 300 miles after a few weeks. A famous quote by Lao Tzu states " a journey of one thousand miles begins with a single step."

Set goals for yourself. Start out with short term achievable goals. Write your goals down in a place that you can refer to easily. Don't fret over goals you did not quite achieve. Reset them. Check off the goals you have attained and reward yourself for them. Keep adding new goals, always. Allow yourself breaks from the exercise routine, but if you can, replace your usual workout with a new activity for the day. If rest is what your body needs, take it. Let it be your reward for work well done.

Finally, wear good quality and appropriate clothing for your activities to support the body properly and to protect it from injury.

Doreen Storozuk is a hairstylist and business owner who has a keen interest in the amazing health benefits of green tea. She enjoys research and writing and invites you to visit her website at http://HealthByGreenTea.com where she promotes green tea in an unbelievable range of products.

Weight Training: Is It For Everyone

One of the most common questions which people often ask me is: "I am in my late 50, I would like to start weight training, is it okay?". Well, the answer is Yes. It is a wrong notion amongst people that weight training can only be done by people who are young and strong. This is in fact a myth as weight training can be done by young people as well as seniors over the age of 65 years or more, both male and female inclusive.

So what does weight training consist of? Weight training usually involves the lifting of weights and then gradually increasing the amounts of weights in the later stages. There are a variety of weight training exercises and it is best to ask a gym instructor who will assess your individual's needs and objectives. He or she will then give you a specific set of weight training exercises. If you feel uncomfortable doing any of the exercises, then you should immediately tell the gym instructor and request modification to your exercises.

There are many benefits of Weight training for example, building strength and muscle, weight loss, fat loss and so on. You should start with light weight training and then gradually increase the intensity of your weight training after a few weeks. If weight training is performed often, it will provide a lot of functional benefits to your body and improve your overall health.

Weight training differs from bodybuilding and power lifting as these are regarded as sports instead of exercises. It is also regarded as a part of resistance training. It requires the over training of muscles so that they become more resistant and also become stronger. Weight training requires doing a set of weights and repeating the same for a certain period of time.

In the beginning, you may start with a set of five repetitions. This will build up your strength and endurance. You can gradually move to six to twelve repetitions which will then add up to your overall body strength and endurance and also increase your muscle size. Then comes a set of thirteen to twenty repetitions which will again increase your body strength and endurance further. Aerobic exercise includes a repetition set of more than twenty.

It is necessary to take a break between the repetitions in weight training so as not to burn out the body in the beginning. The weights for each exercise in weight training should be chosen before doing the exercise and the number of sets should also be properly decided. Gradually you can increase the weights and the number of set repetitions.

It is desired to do weight training within the body's permissible limits as excessive weight training can rove to be risky especially for first timers. Hence, we see that weight training can be an effective form of strength training as one can choose their own weights and also choose the number of set repetitions to be done everyday.

Like any other form of exercises, you need to be focus, committed and take consistent action in order to achieve your desired objectives.

Anthony Smith is The "Fat Loss Expert".

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