Home Fitness Training for Men and Women
Most people think of home exercise as following some 'leg warmers' exercise video from 1982 or getting on the treadmill for 15 minutes. One of the main reasons for this narrow sighted problem is lack of knowledge about what can be achieved at home in terms of health and fitness.
Most people only know what they've been told or what they've read. Unfortunately most of what people are told is skewed or misleading for a host of reasons too deep for us to get into in this article. The important point here is that there is a better way to go about getting the body you want and the fitness levels to go along with it.
So often, a home workout routine gets reduced to 15 minutes of wasted time because of frustration, half hearted commitments and lack of confidence in one's own program. Many times the fitness failure epidemic kicks in and people quit their home exercise plan altogether.
People are often misled to believe that that can only achieve incredible fitness at home if they make a big investment in home exercise equipment. Treadmills, multi-station weight machines and elaborate stretching devices, just to name a few, are all pushed on the public under the guise that without this stuff 'you are eternally doomed to a fat body and poor health'.
The truth is, all you need is a few square feet of floor space and the right mindset to make continuous and stunning progress in your quest for home fitness success. Sure there are some effective little gadgets that can add some variety and fun to your workouts but the number one piece of equipment on your list should be a comfortable floor mat. If you can't spring for a mat - just fold up a soft comforter and you are ready to go.
Before getting off the floor there are at least 87 exercises that you can do ranging from torso and lower body stretches to butt & thigh tighteners and core strengtheners. It doesn't matter if you are a first time exerciser or 'on-and-off' fitness veteran - a creatively structured home workout routine can deliver results to rival any fitness center workout. I say this not just from knowledge of the body but from many years of training people in their homes and offices for various health challenges and physical fitness goals.
Of course, if you are a hardcore body-builder or power-lifter, what I'm saying here may sound like a joke to you and that's alright because I wrote this article for the vast majority of people who just want to look and feel good, both physically and mentally. But, let me just offer you this (from personal experience) you should start thinking now about ways to reduce the high intensity stress and strain on your body - while still maintaining (and most likely improving) your overall health and fitness. High volume, heavy weight and machine type training routines are a long term ticket to aches, pains and injuries - some of you reading this know exactly what I'm talking about. Enough said.
The flexibility of a home exercise routine shows its value when you go on vacation or away on business - the same principles you follow at home can be done at a hotel, at a friends house and even in the outdoors, depending on the climate. For example, I regularly take my clients to local, public playgrounds for some of the best full body workouts I could ever dream up. It's amazing what you can do when you look at a playground with an eye for fitness training programs. Another plus, is that these types of workouts can be fun for family time as well. Take your kids to the park, turn them loose and get yourself a 30 minute cross training workout in while the kids try to copy you. You'll get fit, the kids will pick up the healthy habit from you and they sleep really well that night, too!
Pro Trainer, Joey Atlas, is the producer of 7 World recognized Home Workouts for Men and Women .
And visit Effective Golf Stretching Exercises .
THE 5 MOST IMPORTANT REASONS FOR LOSING WEIGHT
1. Improve Your Health
It is a proven fact that overweight people suffer with many more health
issues than people who are not overweight. You are at greater risk for
heart attacks, strokes, and diabetes, just to name a few.
2. Increased Energy
Unfortunately, weight gain causes a decrease in energy. This is easily
understood. Just try carrying around a 20 pound bag of potatoes with
you all day as you go through your normal tasks. I guarantee you will
be drained by the end of the day....if you make it that long. The
decrease in energy is caused both by the physical weight and the
emotional problems that go with being overweight.
3. Depression
Does it matter if the weight gain causes the depression or the
depression causes the weight gain? Quite often the two go hand in hand,
although, many people do not like to admit it. Low self-esteem plays a
large part in depression, too.
4. Feel Better About Yourself
Are you really a better person if you lose weight? Of course not!
However when you set goals for yourself, and follow through with
attaining them, you feel better about yourself. This increases your
motivation to keep going and accomplish what you have started.
5. Feeling Accepted by Society
Face It....Society judges overweight people. That is a fact, whether we
like it or not. We may say we don’t care what people think about us
but, in reality, most of us do. You’ve all seen the different talk
shows that have dealt with this issue. The general public is not very
accepting of overweight or obese people.
Yoga Meditation
A regular practice of yoga will help you gradually expand the awareness of both your internal and external lives. Through meditation it is possible to achieve a clarity of the world you live in, increase your understanding and tolerance, and heighten your aspirations in life. Furthermore, the power of mediation can help you realise the true nature of your being and soul, both spiritually and emotionally.
Mediation has a variety of approaches you can test and try, in order to arrive at one that suits you best. We will include one for example and to help you get started.
Firstly prepare your body for the meditation experience using a warm up with some gentle stretches and breath control. This helps bring your mind and body gradually into sync with one another. After, position your body either in a cross legged position or any pose in which you feel confortable. If it is hard for you to concentrate for a period of time with your legs crossed try instead sitting in a chair that keeps your back straight and supported and rest your hands on your thighs.
Close your eyes and concentrate on your breathing, thereby relaxing your body and your mind. Continue with this for a few minutes, keeping your breathing steady and unwind and relax mentally.
Follow this with some alternating breath or a Yogic pranayama exercise. Bring your focus upon on of the chakras. For example the third eye (or anja chakra) located just between your eyebrows. This will help bring further clarity to your mind. Alternatively you could focus on relaxing on each part of your body, starting with your feet and legs and working up toward the top of your head.
Pick a word or phrase that will help calm you. Focus on this when your body is entirely relaxed, repeating the word or phrase over and over together with concentrating on your breathing.
When in a state of total relaxation, cease repeating the phrase and try and let your mind be free and let your awareness be raised. Come out of the mediation when you feel ready.