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!

About the author:
© 2004 Kathy Burns-Millyard and The Health and Fitness Information Network - A large and growing health portal featuring quality health and fitness articles, tips, news, advice and resources. Visit http://www.health-and-fitness-information.com now and get subscribed to our RSS feed so you’ll have the newest articles as they’re published!

by: PilatesPowerSystem.com

In order to understand the basics of Pilates and why it can work for you, you first need to understand where Pilates came from. Pilates was originally formed in Germany by a man of the same name, Joseph Pilates.

Joseph Pilates had many health afflictions as a child. The boy wanted to overcome the hardships he faced. He hoped exercise would not only boost his morale, but also his body’s defense against his illnesses.

The year was 1880 when Joseph Pilates was born. During his youthful years, he tried a number of things to try to strengthen his body. After several failed attempts to create the perfect program for his frail form he came up with the series of movements we now know as Pilates. However, it wasn’t until the 1920’s that the movements Joseph Pilates created were truly perfected.

One of the things that make Pilates so great is that the movements and exercises you do seek to give you strength and flexibility, but not to build any serious amount of bulk to your frame. Pilates is not about building muscle, it is about working with your body and not against it. You need to be able to take what you have been given and make that work for you before attempting anything else and that is the philosophy that Pilates was founded on.

As you learn more about Pilates you will find that it is designed for each person’s body. Pilates will align your bones through a series of movements and this will allow your body to work with less strain thanks to the activity of exercise you are achieving.

Pilates appeals to a number of people. It doesn’t matter what type of person you are or what level of training your body is at. Pilates can help you improve your body’s natural functioning as well as help boost confidence and your mental wellness.

The most wonderful thing you will discover about Pilates is that you don’t have to suffer through the movements to feel better. You are training your body with intelligent design and therefore you will not need to work twice as hard, as you may have to do with other work out programs.

Pilates was set up to create balance within your body. This will help you to realign your bones and can also help to improve your posture. Another positive feature is the lean muscles that you will form thanks to your workouts.

Pilates is excellent exercise for everyone no matter their shape or size. In fact, many videos and exercise clubs have created classes for people with disabilities, arthritis, general strength or weight loss issues, different strength issues, and even for pregnant or birthing mothers.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Shannon Beaty has been practicing Pilates for over 10 years, and has been a Pilates instructor for over 6 years. She teaches at the Johnthan Club in Loas Angeles and oversees their entire Pilates Program.

© PilatesPowerSystem.com All rights reserved. You may freely distribute this article. The copyright and this resource box must be included.
http://PilatesPowerSystem.com

by: Lana Holt

1. Keep a water bottle with you at all times and drink from it often. Water *is* the drink of choice, but if you don’t enjoy it (I admit it… I don’t), drink Propel, Diet Ice, Reebok Water, Vitamin Water or some other form of healthy fluid intake.

2. Think twice before deciding what to eat and why, making sure that it is healthy and will provide you good nutrition.

3. Measure intake based on activity, not how you “feel.” Need should mandate intake, not mood.

4. Eat well-balanced meals and remember that excessive calories, even if they are fat-free and high protein will turn to excess weight!

5. If your diet is unbalanced, try a daily vitamin and mineral supplements for total health. 6. Limit caffeine and exposure to even second hand smoke.

6. Focus on short-term fitness goals with an emphasis on completing daily exercise.

7. Keep a daily log of what you’re actually eating… this includes grabbing a handful of chips here, the crust of your kids sandwich, and all your snacking.

8. Stick with eating plans you can maintain indefinitely. Remember that no matter how hard you’re working out, if you’re consuming too many calories, you’ll never see the muscles that lie beneath layers of fatty tissue.

9. Enjoy an occasional (once a week) “unhealthy” treat, but never an “unhealthy” week or “unhealthy” vacation.

10. Limit alcohol intake to special occasions.

11. See fitness and health as a privilege, not something to take for granted.

12. Enjoy contributing to the health of others by having a partner or friend to exercise with, as well as recruiting others who desire to feel better and have more energy.

13. Avoid monotony by taking up new forms of exercising or using things that keep you motivated and inspired like new shoes or great music.

14. Work to take your exercise to new levels of intensity.

15. Subscribe to fitness magazines to keep focused on health as an overall way of life.

16. Invest in the right tools, good shoes, a health club membership, a portable MP3 player, fitness equipment, a personal trainer, etc.

17. Don’t compare your body to others. Instead, work to be your personal best.

18. Move beyond the boundaries of weight loss and into total fitness. Measure success by the way your clothes fit, and not a number on a scale.

19. Make it your goal to do some form of exercise 6-7 days a week.

20. Create an exercise schedule the day before, instead of leaving it to chance or waiting to “find” the time. If our last two Presidents of the United States can find the time to work-out 5 days a week, you can find the time too!

21. Get adequate amounts of sleep. Remember that people who exercise regularly fall asleep faster and sleep more soundly.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Fitness professional working for Powder Blue Productions. Powder Blue Productions is a fitness minded company. We train instructors to teach Turbo Kick™ and PiYo™, 2 programs that put the fun back into exercise. In addition, we offer an in home fitness program called Turbo Jam™.