Many people claim that they do not work out because they have no time in their busy day. One of the main reasons for this is because a lot of people think that exercise is something which only takes place in a gym for hours at time and involves a great deal of agony.

The good news is that studies have shown that any physical activity can count when it comes to keeping fit. Even a simple walk will help you improve your fitness. But other things can all add up as well, from cleaning the house to cycling with the kids or even a round of golf.

So now that you know these all count, you need to do more of them. But if you say that you have no time, you need to thing again. How are your hours really passing by? You might work 9 to 5 like a lot of people, or go to school, but there have to be at least a few ten-minute breaks in your day for you to work in some fitness activities.

Yes, that’s right, even as little as 10 minutes, 4 times a day, has been proven to be as effective as a single 40-minute burst of activity.

So, to sum up, all activity counts, and no matter how busy you are, even a short session can all add up to big results. That being the case, you should now start to look at ways you can work in fitness during your daily routine.

Start as soon as you get up with a few minutes of stretches, yoga, calisthenics, Pilates or tai chi. You don’t even have to get out of bed for some of these activities.

Look for ways to work movement into all of your daily activities. For example, when you are on your way to the office, walk or take your bike. If it is too far, and you take public transport, get off a stop earlier, or a stop later, and walk from there. You will not only get in more exercise, you will get a whole new change of scenery as well.

If you are doing the housework, turn up the music and pick up your speed. Go up and down the stairs several times as your own free stair-climber.

Are you stuck in the office with barely a break? You don’t have to be. Take a walk at lunch time, get a little pedal cycle to put under your desk, or try desk yoga. Talking on the phone? If you are in a cubicle, jog in place, do knee to chest lifts, and more. If you have your own office, put them on speakerphone and do yoga, toe touches, and more while you work.

Heading home from work? Park the car but don’t go inside. Walk around the block a few times, and get the family to come with you.

At the end of the day, when you are watching TV, don’t just sit there. Get up and walk around, stretch, sit ups, crunches, jog or dance in place, use hand weights, do yoga. Try your kids’ Wii system and do Dance Central, and more.

Don’t exercise too close to bed time, as it can be very stimulating and boost your energy level, but a walk before bed, using some light weights, or doing some yoga can be an excellent way to end the day.
Fitness has been proven to give many health benefits, especially if you do a combination of cardiovascular exercise and strength training. It’s a new year, and time for a new you. Why not grab your iPod and a water bottle, and get moving for better health.
FURTHER READING
Fitness Basics: How to Add Exercise Easily to Your Day, Every Day (Health Matters)

Outdoor Fitness Fun for the Whole Family (Health Matters)

New Year, New You (Health Matters)

Welcome to the Fitness – Bellydancing Area

We look forward to bringing you great content about Fitness – Bellydancing from our talented authors.

We all know that smoking is bad for us. So why is it so hard to quit?If you find yourself lacking in motivation to even try, or are struggling to give up, here is a timely article that can help motivate you to quit once and for all.

Reasons to Quit Smoking

Do you know your number? Most people don’t. And that’s a shame, since your number can offer a peek at your health.

By your number, we mean your body mass index (BMI), which indicates whether your weight falls within a desirable range for your height.

Depending on your classification, you may or may not wish to think about losing weight.

It is a useful tool to determine whether or not you need to lose weight because it takes into account all body types.

Here is a really handy Body Mass Index Calculator

http://www.nhlbisupport.com/bmi/

Are you thinking of losing weight as part of your New Year’s Resolution?

Here is a handy online tool to help you calculate your Body Mass index, (BMI) so you can determine your optimal healthy weight and start working towards your goals.

http://www.everydayhealth.com/toolkit/weightcalculator/index.aspx?xid=nl_EverydayHealthHealthyAging_20080408

Regular exercise helps to prevent back pain by increasing muscle strength in your abdominal or ‘core’ area. A solid core means a strong back, and this kind of lean strength helps with all your daily tasks that involve lifting and climbing.

In addition, it helps ward off the kind of frailty that one sees in the elderly.

And the best news is, in a lot of cases, you don’t even have to break a sweat to get the benefits.

Great exercise options for women include:

– yoga

– pilates

– walking

– swimming

– water aerobics

For those who don’t mind breaking a sweat, there is:

– jazzercise

– jogging or running

– volleyball

– rollerblading

– dancing of all kinds

Exercise doesn’t have to be complicated or even planned. For instance, you can:

- do housework quickly and to music

- take the stairs instead of the elevator, both up, and down, to use different muscle groups

- do yardwork, such as raking leaves, mowing the lawn

Even the busiest business person has time to exercise, though, so now you have no excuse.   Get off one stop before or after your usual stop on the way to work or on the way home, and walk the rest of the way.  Then make it 2 stops and so on.  Walk to the corner store instead of taking the car, and save gas at the same time.

The biggest enemy of exercise is supposedly not having time, but if you are spontaneous and creative in your exercise choices, you should be able to work these and other fitness activities you enjoy into your daily life.

Exercise, fitness

Learn about more of the best strategies for women who want to exercise and keep fit.

Here is a useful article that talks about how older people are able to best manage a weight-training program to help stay fit.
http://www.everydayhealth.com/publicsite/ShowArticle.aspx?IsP=news/614/news614291.xml&dp=2008/04/06&q1=&cen=&xid=nl_EverydayHealthHealthyAging_20080408