People ask me ALL the time:

“What are the best machines to use at the gym?”

The answer to that question: ALL OF THEM!!!

Being able to go to a gym is a great asset to your health and fitness training. I have personally used commercial gym equipment and I will continue to do so! Having access to these machines allows you the opportunity to create a very diverse workout.  You want to be able to target different muscle groups on different days of your workout.   You also want to be able to do different types of cardio exercise (such as use the treadmill, use the stair master, the bike, or even a row machine).  Alternating between different cardio machines is a great way to get your cardio done.  It also allows you the option to split up your cardio over several different machines as opposed to staying on one machine for 30+ minutes.  Try staying on one machine for 15-20 minutes and move to another one!

As you can see in the picture above, being able to have access to different machines allows you to get creative with your workouts!  That is the BEST part!  You can use something as ordinary as a treadmill for one whole workout to get a  full body workout!

They key is to KNOW what you want to do when you get into the gym!

You should ALWAYS have a plan of the exercises you want to do for that day.  You should go ahead and plan out a whole weeks worth of workouts so you can be prepared when you get to the gym!  If you have a weeks worth of workouts planner it will also allow you the chance to switch your workout days if needed.

Example:  You go into your gym and there are a lot of people waiting to use certain machines you wanted to use that day….if you already know what you wanted to do for another workout just use that other workout instead!  It will allow you to not have to sit around and wait for people to get done with the machines you want to use.

Am I saying that you HAVE to have a gym membership to achieve your goals?

 NO NOT AT ALL!

But, I am saying that having access to a gym will allow you to do more diverse workouts.

Not to mention, the gym is a GREAT place to get health and fitness advice from fellow fitness junkies as well as try to meet people who are dedicated to a healthy lifestyle.

Want an example workout to do?  Here is a great workout ANYONE can try:

Want to get back on track but you just don’t know how to start?

Starting is the HARDEST part!
First you have to pick a day.  Pick a day that you want to start living and eating healthier.

On this day start first thing in the morning when you wake up.

The best thing to do is to start fresh at the beginning of the week (like Sunday or Monday).

Here are some day-by-day things you can do to help you get on track:

Day One:

Today try to drink at least 1.5 liters or water.  Try to substitute your favorite afternoon sugar drink with a glass of water.  Or have your favorite drink BUT also have the extra glass of water.  The key is to start incorporating more water into your diet

Day Two:

Make a healthy snack choice.  Instead of having chips with your sandwich at lunch try some veggies or a piece of fruit.  You want to start making healthier food choices for your meals and snacks

Day Three:

Go for a brisk walk.  You want to walk at a pace that is faster than a casual walk and you want to keep up that faster pace for about 30 minutes.  You want to get your heart rate up but you also do not want to push yourself too hard starting out.

Day Four:

Regulate your meal choices.  You want to try to eat several small meals throughout the day.  You want your first meal to be within two hours of you first waking up.  Once you have breakfast try to have more small meals (around 400 calories each) every 2-3 hours.  This will help kick-start your metabolism and allow you to fuel your body as you are going through the day.

Day Five:

Create your own stretching routine.  This routine should be done before AND after you workout.  It does not have to be a long drawn out routine, just something that will stretch your major muscle groups and allow you to stretch your muscles.

Day Six:

Try to drink 2 liters of water!  If it helps try to get a large water bottle or container that you can monitor how much you are consuming to help you keep track.

Day Seven:

Go through your cabinet and collect all of your unhealthy foods.  If you still have some food that is unopened donate it to a local food pantry or other type of food service.  You will not be as tempted to eat bad foods if you do not buy them or have them at home.

Day Eight:

Go for another brisk walk.  This time make sure to stretch BEFORE and AFTER your walk.  Do not forget to keep up the fast brisk pace for at least 30 minutes.  You want to keep your heart rate up to help you start to burn those extra calories.

Day Nine:

Go one full day without eating anything “unhealthy”.  This means cutting out carbonated beverages, candy bars, greasy foods, chips, or anything else that you know is unhealthy.  If you even have a doubt if it is unhealthy or not, do not eat it! Stick to simple things like chicken, fish, beef, turkey, veggies, fruit, whole wheat pasta or bread, etc.  This will allow you to dedicate one full day to fueling your body with healthy low processed foods.

Day Ten:

Today try to do more physical activities.  These following exercises do them for a minute and record how many you can do.  A month from now do them all again and see how many more you were able to do in that minute.  That should help show you how much you are progressing!  Try these exercises: jumping jacks, sit ups, push ups, lunges, air squats, and mountain climbers (if you do not know what these exercises are you can type them into Google or YouTube and see how to do them!)

Day Eleven:

Today try to combine several of the things listed above.  Try drinking the 2 liters or water and eating healthy for a full day.  Or try the brisk walk and drinking 2 liters of water.  Whatever you choose, try to do at least two of the items listed above.

Day Twelve:

Start a health and fitness journal!  Write down what you have been doing and how you feel.  You can write down how much you weigh now and also keep track of the exercises you have been doing.  There are some great online fitness journals (like myfitnesspal.com) or you can buy a regular journal to write in.  Writing down what you do will help you to keep track of what you are doing and will hopefully hold you accountable for the healthy choices that you should/want to make each day.

Day Thirteen:

Today you should drink 2 liters of water, walk briskly for thirty minutes (and do not forget to stretch!!), and lastly you should also have a regulated day of eating every few hours.

Day Fourteen:  

By this day you should have already started some healthy habits!  Today will be the toughest day!  Today you should make sure to drink 2 liters of water, eat healthy ALL day, have regulated eating (every 2-3 hours), go for a brisk walk (with your stretching), and keep track of all of this in your fitness journal.

This is just a sample of some things that you can do to get you stated on living healthier.  Most people ask me “where do I start” or “what are some good things to start doing”.  These are all some great things that allow you to make your own wise choices.  The key is to not completely jump into things head first.  You want to gradually start to make positive habits so the will become a good habit and you will stick with them.  Try this for fourteen days and then see how ready you are to start living healthier!

Have some general questions about starting a new health and fitness routine?

Need help with some great foods to add or take out of your diet?

Here is a great easy guide that suggest a general idea of what you should and should not do when adapting a new health and fitness routine! 

You can try this move to add something extra to your work out routine!

What to do:

Get the treadmill started first! Start off with a LOW SPEED (like around 1.0 or 1.5)

As you do it more and get better at it you can increase the speed or even the incline of the treadmill

I did this exercise for a total of 20 minutes!

60 seconds on the treadmill and 30 seconds rest.

I alternated between the  60 seconds and 30 seconds until 20 minutes had passed

It increased my heart rate as well as worked my shoulders, back, and arms.

BE CAREFUL when doing this exercise!

Your hands are close to the rollers and you do not want to get them (or your clothing) caught in the machine.

Like I said before, start out slow and then you can increase the speed.

For your first time try to have someone near by just in case you need assistance!

Here are a few exercises you can add to your routine to help tone and sculpt your body!

Have a house full of sleeping people?

Well here are some great exercise you can do in your home that should not disturb your sleeping family members

Make sure you clear enough room for you to move around

Have your towel, water bottle, and iPod ready to go!

READY…SET…GO WORKOUT!

Snowed in?

Cant get to the gym today?

NO WORRIES!
Try this workout!

Try this awesome workout!!

As the COLD winter time is quickly approaching it will be hard to be able to get outside and run.  Sometimes it will be hard to get up and leave your house period!! I know the colder it gets…the more and more I DO NOT want to leave my house! Well lucky for you there are some great options for you to consider if you are wanting to create your own workout area in your own home!

Today he is going to discuss treadmills! So lets see what he has to say!…

Treadmills Aren’t Just For Human Fitness Ya Know!

Treadmills have been in the market now for a long time. They were first developed to serve human fitness and they are to this day, one of the most popular exercise machines in the market. However, a lot of people assume that these fitness devices are for human benefit only.
This may have been true up until recently, where a number of companies have designed and developed treadmill machines for dogs. Yes.. you did hear that right! Treadmill machines for dogs!

I would imagine your next question would be something like, “Why would any company create a treadmill device for a dog, they don’t need exercise like we humans do?” Well… if you had that mentality, I am afraid you’d be wrong to think so. Whilst there are some treadmills out on the market right now that offer fantastic value for the human user. At the same time, there is also treadmill machines on the market for your pet dogs too… and for good reason might I add!

As obesity levels continue to rise in humans, there is also a growing trend of pet dogs who are also developing a pot belly. There are a number of reasons for this trend. One of the obvious reasons is that pet dogs are not getting enough exercise due to their owners not having the time to take them for a walk in the fresh air and giving their legs a stretch. For those who live in apartments with no backyard, it’s no wonder your dog begins to develop unhealthy levels of weight.

Just like their owners, dogs can also experience obesity and this affects their lives in terms of quality of life and longevity. In the United States, there are about 53% of mature dogs who are considered obese. This statement comes from the association of Pet Obesity Prevention. So in order to fight off obesity in dogs, there has been a new clinic established specifically for pet dogs. Tufts University’s Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine in North Grafton, Massachusetts made this announcement back in September of this year and they continue to cater for unhealthy pets across the country.

So how can you tell if your pet is obese? Apparently if you can’t feel their ribs as you lay your hands on their front end, they are considered obese. Your pet dog needs at least twenty to thirty minutes of exercise each and every day. A dog who is not getting enough exercise, will be less happy and can develop continuous health problems.

Using a treadmill for canine Cardio is a great way to develop your pup’s fitness levels and get them into better shape. Over at Dogpacer.com, David Ezra (CEO) said they have sold hundreds of canine treadmills over the last seven months since they hit the market. I would personally assume that they will sell a lot over the Christmas period, as more dog owners become aware of the rise in obesity levels for unhealthy pets. Perhaps these machine might become as popular as the top brand machines in the human treadmill market. We’ll just have to watch this space as they say.

I hope that you guys enjoyed what he had to say! Please feel free to leave any comments or questions!!