How to Run! (Day1)

How to Run

 

You want to be a runner? Ok. You can’t just wake up one morning and do it. You need to start slowly, but be progressive. Intensity, initially, should be moderate (60 – 70% of maximum heart rate) – not high. It takes a little time and patience to run, not long, but not overnight either. If health permits, start off with a combination of walking and “jogging”.

Your body needs time to adapt to the impact of running on your joints, muscles, tendons, ligaments and bones. You also need time to adapt an efficient, natural and economic (on energy) running style.

Novice runners waste a lot of energy at the start by bouncing too much during each stride. Once you get the hang of it, when you find your running mojo – your rhythm – you will place less strain on your body and actually enjoy it. Music can help you find or maintain a rhythm and improve your running ability.As a beginner, you will make quick gains in aerobic capacity, i.e. how far you can run without getting out of breath. 

However, your muscles, joints and tendons, need a little more time to adapt. Therefore, while you may be tempted to run faster, pace yourself in the first few weeks and give your joints time to adjust. Instead focus on the steady, continuous rhythmical movement of your run and making the switch from jogging to power walking and back again. This plan minimises your chances of injury.

"THE BIG GYMNASIUM'S" DAILY FITNESS TIPS

   

HOW TO EXERCISE TO LOSE FAT

Build Muscle With Strength Training: Many people will discover, that the real noticeable change to their body shape; comes when they begin strength training. Whilst strength training may make your heart pump faster, it is not considered an aerobic activity. However, it does burn fat and the purpose of strength training is also to build, tone and shape the muscles.

 

http://www.superskinnyme.com/how_to_run.html 

Exercise Heart Rate Training Zones for Weight Loss

 

 

You can determine how intensely you are exercising by monitoring your heart rate or rating your perceived exertion.

Determine YOUR heart rate training zone with a heart rate calculator.

BEST HEART RATE FOR WEIGHT LOSS

Your “training zone” tends to be at an intensity of 60 – 80% of your maximum heart rate. If you have been inactive for a long time, exercise at an intensity level lower than 75% of your maximum heart rate. Then gradually increase the intensity. This is of course simply a guideline and you must assess how you are feeling during your workout. You know that you are working at the right intensity if you are sweating and breathing harder than normal, but not gasping for breath. You also need to sustain it for 30 – 60 minutes.

As you become more fit, it becomes easier to exercise in your target heart rate (THR) range. However, your heart rate also decreases as you get increasingly athletic. Therefore, you need to periodically re-calculate your target heart rate.

The table below shows the level of fitness and its approximate corresponding maximum heart rate.

Fitness level	% of Maximum heart rate (MHR)
Beginner/ low	50 – 60%
Average	60 – 70%
High	75 – 85%

RATINGS OF PERCEIVED EXERTION (RPE)

Another way to assess the intensity of your work out is by using a scale of 1- 10, called the Rating of Perceived Exertion (RPE) scale. The scale does not require measuring heart rate.This can be easier to use for beginners who are not using the gym. If you are using equipment in the gym or have a heart rate monitor when doing outdoor activity, it is simple enough to use target heart rate as your intensity guide.

Level 1	Very, very light
Level 2	Very light
Level 3	Light, very easy
Level 4	Low intensity, warm-up level, easy
Level 5	Low to moderate intensity, still fairly easy
Level 6	Moderate intensity, working and breathing a little hard
Level 7	Moderate to high intensity, breathing harder, more challenging
Level 8	High intensity, very challenging, breathing very hard, difficult to talk
Level 9	Very high intensity, breathing seriously hard
Level 10	Maximum intensity, feels like your heart will burst out of your chest

 "THE BIG GYMNASIUM'S" DAILY FITNESS TIPS

 How to Exercise to Lose Fat

As your fitness level improves, you want to incorporate more intensive workouts as well. Higher intensity workouts incinerate more calories, but a smaller ratio of fat. To maximise fat loss, combine high intensity, moderate intensity and low intensity exercise programs into a complete and balanced workout.

 

http://www.superskinnyme.com/heart-rate-training-zone.html 

Exercise For Overweight Adults & Other Health Issues

 

 

If you are overweight and you’re planning to start an exercise program, you need to think about your joints, as you will be putting a significant amount of strain on them.

Do NOT start off with running. It is a good idea to avoid high-impact exercise until you have lost enough weight for jogging to be comfortable. Non-weight bearing exercise such as bike riding or swimming are excellent as is low-impact exercise such as power-walking (you can increase difficulty/ intensity by adding hills or incorporating intervals of differing speeds).

Joining a gym can be rather scary, even for an experienced exerciser. It can be intimidating to walk into a room full of sweaty exercisers, who seem to know what they’re doing. However, do not ever be embarrassed to exercise, because you feel overweight. Once you know where everything is and which equipment you want to use, you wont feel overwhelmed as you’ll be focused on your exercise plan and the parts of the gym you’re using.

EXERCISE TIPS FOR OVERWEIGHT PEOPLE:

Follow the advice below and the weight will start falling off. Rome was not built in a day. Whatever size we start from, whether we have 10lbs or 100lbs to lose, we cannot achieve our goal overnight. Transformations happen in stages. Okay, so yours may take a little longer, you should not let this be a hurdle. What’s important is that you get there. Your motivation to keep going is to appreciate your successes, which include the changes in your shape, the improvement of your fitness and quality of life and the reduction of any health risks. Persistence and determination will get you to the body you want.

• Walk/ power walk off those pounds either outdoors or on a treadmill.

• When you get to the fastest speed you can (power) walk, without starting to run, raise the level of difficulty by increasing incline on the treadmill, the time you are walking or by choosing a more difficult walking route with hilly intervals.

• The treadmill is lower impact compared to running/ walking on concrete and asphalt. The treadmill has some shock-absorbent ability and thus is better on your knees, hips and joints.

• If you have access to gym equipment, the cross-trainer/ elliptical trainer is a godsend for you (actually everyone!). It is hands down my favorite invention for weight loss and should be yours too. It is a no-impact exercise and most people find that they are able to burn more calories than they would running, because it feels easier.

• There is no particular level at which you should begin. The starting level is completely up to what feels comfortable to you and is approved by your health care professional.

• The general recommendation is to exercise for 30 minutes at moderate intensity several days a week. However, this may not be practical for beginners especially if overweight. Start slow. That is at a lower intensity and for a shorter duration. 20 minutes of cardio is a good starting point, which you can break up into shorter phases.

• Use a pedometer, which can be very motivating if you are walking.

• Be consistent. Consistency allows you to increase the duration and intensity of the exercise as your fitness level begins to increase. This means you are gaining better cardiovascular fitness, strengthening your joints and ligaments and increasing fat burning.

• Try exercising with friends or family, the added support will help you to keep up your exercise plan. Alternatively, work privately with a personal trainer. If you are still worried, start in your back yard doing using a stationary bike, pedal exerciser or other sports equipment, until you start feeling more fit and confident.

If you have an injury or disability that prevents you from running, or simply find running painful, either try the cross-trainer/ elliptical machine and see if that works for you or try alternative cardiovascular activities such as swimming, cycling and rowing.

Before you start exercising make sure you clear the program with your doctor first. I assure you that (s)he’ll only be too happy to help.

"THE BIG GYMNASIUM'S" DAILY FITNESS TIPS

How to Exercise to Lose Fat:

All kind of exercise burn calories. Even non-exercise activity burns calories. However what is the best way to burn fat? Aerobic exercise will get the result. Aerobic activity, sometimes called cardio, is exercise that gets your heart pumping. As you perform aerobic activity, you'll breathe more heavily and begin to sweat.

It is not important, to exercise to the point of breathlessness every day. Additionally, the majority of people, efficiently burn fat at a moderate exercise intensity of 7 on a scale of 1-10.


Tomorrow:Work harder as your fitness level improves.

http://www.superskinnyme.com/overweight_exercise.html

How to Use the Elliptical Machine (Day2)

How to Use the Elliptical Machine

 

 4. Resistance Training on the Elliptical

You can use the elliptical trainer to really target and work your leg muscles and glutes. Do this by increasing the resistance or if a feature on the elliptical trainer by increasing incline.

You can also do incline intervals increasing the angle for a few minutes at a time, followed by a similar period with a lower incline. This will really work your guteal muscles (bottom). You can also do intervals with high and low resistance. Intervals make a great combination of cardio and resistance workouts.

Women training on the elliptical several times a week with high resistance, should keep an eye on the results.

The elliptical can give you amazingly toned thighs. However, you don’t want to overdo it and become bulky in the thigh area (though this will take time, i.e it wont happen overnight). Therefore, once you are happy with your legs, stop increasing the resistance/ incline. Keep the resistance/ incline constant to maintain what you’ve got.

 5. Do You Have a Body Part In Mind?

When you get on the elliptical trainer, you may have a particular body part in mind that you want to tone. Some of the newer elliptical trainers have body-part specific pre-set programs, such as “gluteal training” or one targeting the calf muscles. Choose the program that you want.

"THE BIG GYMNASIUM'S" DAILY FITNESS TIPS

   

Prepare For A High Intensity Training Program:

Be equipped with a stopwatch and some method for monitoring your workout intensity. A heart rate monitor works best. If you don’t own a monitor, you can use perceived exertion or take your pulse manually.


Tomorrow: Exercise For Overweight Adults & Other Health Issues


http://www.superskinnyme.com/how_to_use_elliptical_trainer.html

 

How to Slim Big Thighs – Muscular vs Fat Thighs (Day3)

How to Slim Big Thighs – Muscular vs Fat Thighs

 

4. Running To Slim Thighs And Reshape Legs

Endurance running is especially effective in those who have big thigh muscles, as it may decrease the size of the muscles and reduce fat around the muscle to make the thighs smaller. It will completely transform the size and make-up of your thighs and your calves. Therefore, to slim down thighs do endurance running with little or no incline. If you find it too difficult to run or are unable to run, try the elliptical trainer with little or no resistance. Posture on the elliptical trainer is critical. Correct posture will target your butt, outer thigh and hamstring muscles (back of thighs) and lessen the strain on your quadriceps (front of thighs), avoiding you from inadvertently building big thighs.

 

5. Resistance Training

When you have lost some fat from your thighs you can think about resistance training. If you need to increase muscle mass in order to increase the shape and definition of your thighs you can implement resistance exercises. In order to have fantastic legs you need muscle. Therefore, if you lack shape having lost weight, a program of resistance training targeting the legs will help to shape and firm them. Be sure to keep the weights moderately light (up to 70% of your one-lift maximum), so that your thigh muscles become harder, stronger and more defined, but not significantly larger. In other words, focus on completing more repetitions, with less resistance. 

Those who have the type of muscle (mesomorphs) that responds quickly and gets big need to be particularly vigilant and may not choose not to do any such exercises, since their thigh muscles are already well toned.

 

6. Patience

You need to be patient and focused on what you want to achieve. You cannot burn body fat in specific areas, especially inner thigh fat. You cannot spot reduce. Body fat is lost from the entire body during weight loss. The inner thighs will be one of the last areas of the body in a woman to be slim and firm. Just remember to be realistic and to take your body shape, genetics and current level of body fat into consideration, when setting goals. You can get slim thighs, but you need time to get there.

"THE BIG GYMNASIUM'S" DAILY FITNESS TIPS

 

Prepare For A High Intensity Interval Training Program:

Before you commence an exercise program that involves high intensity activity, you need to ensure that you  are healthy enough for vigorous activity. You’ll be working very hard, so visit your doctor or a medical consultant to confirm that you are in good health.

Tomorrow: Starting a High Intensity Workout

http://www.superskinnyme.com/slim-thighs.html

How to Slim Big Thighs – Muscular vs Fat Thighs (Day1)

How to Slim Big Thighs – Muscular vs Fat Thighs

 

 

 

WHAT CAUSES BIG THIGHS?

 

1. GENDER

Women and men have so-called sex-specific fat deposits. Sex hormones affect fat distribution. Estrogen directs fat to deposit around the pelvis, buttocks, and outer and inner thighs of women, while testosterone means men store fat in the belly area. This makes it far more difficult for women to shift fat from the hips, butt and thighs than from other areas of the body – areas of so-called stubborn fat. While it is obviously the bane of many a woman’s life, there is a biological advantage – this type of fat is thought to play a role in fertility and lactation. Interestingly, it appears that during lactation, this stubborn fat is not quite so stubborn and easier to budge than normally.

 

2. BODY SHAPE

Your body shape will have significant bearing on the size of your thighs. Pear-shaped women will suffer the worst of it, with large thighs and butt, while cone-shaped women will have slim thighs and legs compared to the rest of their body. You cannot change your body shape and if you are pear-shaped you will have to work harder slim down thighs and inner thighs. However, don’t despair, Jennifer Lopez is a perfect example of a pear shape - yet no one gives a second thought about the size of her thighs, but instead extol her shapely derriere.

 

3. FAT

Your thighs may simply be large because you have a lot of fat in this area - fatty thighs. As explained above, most women will have a natural tendency to deposit fat in their outer and inner thighs. Unfortunately, this means that this is one of the last places fat then the shift, which means you need to be patient and determined to see results. For women legs tend to slim around a body fat percentage of 18%. Therefore, you can strip away thigh fat, to get slim thighs, but it will take time.

The best thigh exercises, for you are the ones that don’t simply firm and tone, but strip fat from thighs, to make big thighs smaller. If you don’t burn fat, you wont get slimmer thighs. Thus, any thigh exercises that only firm thighs, but do not burn fat will do little to actually slim thighs, since your thigh muscles remain firmly hidden under a layer of thigh fat.

 

4. MUSCLE

Another reason for large thighs is that you may naturally have large thigh muscles. Muscle is made up of muscle fibres. There are different types of muscle fibres, which also vary in size. You are probably have a larger proportion of Type II muscle fibres (large) commonly found in sprinters and power athletes than Type I fibres (small) generally found in endurance athletes. Muscular thighs, even if thighs are toned, means larger thighs. Unfortunately, you can’t shift muscle like you can shift fat. Not that you would want to. Muscle is healthy, excessive fat is not. However, don’t be disheartened, there are a couple of causes of big thigh muscles you may be able to do something about, to slim thighs:

• It may be the case that you don’t have a genetic tendency to have big thigh muscles, but that you have a natural tendency to gain a lot of muscle in your thighs with exercise. High-resistance/ high-incline exercise (e.g. treadmill or elliptical trainer) or spot reduction exercises for your thighs/ inner thigh exercises may have made you thigh muscles bigger.  Sports such as ice skating and dancing also tend to produce powerful thighs. Therefore, if you have been doing these type of exercises that target thighs in a bid to get slimmer thighs, you may need to rethink your workout strategy.

• You are genetically programmed to have large muscles (mesomorph body type), but you may also have a lot of fat around the muscle. In other words, you have a lot of fat and a lot of muscle. Stripping the fat from your outer and inner thighs will slim thighs significantly and you might just find that some beautifully defined legs are lurking underneath that thigh fat.

"THE BIG GYMNASIUM'S" DAILY FITNESS TIPS

Different Types of Weight Loss Barriers...The first step to addressing the hurdles that appear in the weight loss process; is to understand each barrier. Once you can identify each problem, it becomes easier to develop the tactics required to achieve your goals. It is also helpful to understand that the challenges you confront; are the same barriers that many other dieters face, as they try to eat well or adhere to an exercise program. 

Tomorrow: Muscular vs Fat Thighs (Day 2)



http://www.superskinnyme.com/how-to-slim-down-big-thighs.html

 

 

 

 

 

 

Rock Solid Abs Workout (Day3)

Rock Solid Abs Workout

 

7. STABILITY BALL SIDE CRUNCH

 

 

BODY PART TARGETED:  SIDES (OBLIQUES)
EXERCISE MOVEMENT:

• Sit sideways on the stability ball, that is, with your right side/ hip on the ball, and hold your torso almost upright. Place both feet against a wall and put your left leg behind your right leg.
• Cross your arms over your chest. This is your starting position.
• Keeping your arms crossed lower the right side of your torso down to the ball.
• Slowly rise back up to the starting position and hold at the top for a second.
• Complete one set on the right before repeating the exercise on the left side.

TIP: Place your feet wide apart to help aid balance. To make to exercise more difficult, move the ball closer to the wall.

 

8. STABILITY BALL OBLIQUE CRUNCH 

BODY PART TARGETED:   CORE (TRANSVERSE ABDOMINUS), STOMACH (RECTUS ABDOMINIS) & SIDES (OBLIQUES)



 

EXERCISE MOVEMENT:

• Lie with your back on the stability ball and place your hands on to the sides of your head/ by your ears. Steady yourself with your feet, keeping your legs bent. This is your starting position.
• Bending at the waist, bring your torso up while twisting over to your right side.
• Slowly and with control lower your torso back down to the starting position.
• Repeat the movement on the left side.

TIP: Small movements suffice. Lifting your torso two to three inches will do the trick!

 

9. STABILITY BALL STRAIGHT-LEG CRUNCHES

 

BODY PART TARGETED:  STOMACH (RECTUS ABDOMINIS)
EXERCISE MOVEMENT:

• Lie on your back and with your legs extended squeeze a stability ball between your feet/ lower legs.
• Now raise your legs, with the stability ball, off the floor (about 45 degrees) and reach your stretched out arms towards the ball. This is your starting position  (yes you’re going to really feel this one!).
• Raise your torso up and touch the ball with your fingertips.
• Slowly and with control lower your torso to the floor.

TIP: Remember to breathe during this exercise.

"THE BIG GYMNASIUM'S" DAILY FITNESS TIPS

Rules of Weight Loss:

How Much Exercise Do I Need? Exercise is an important weight loss tool, but how much you need varies from person to person. The guidelines recommend at least 250 minutes per week, which comes out to about 50 minutes, 5 days a week. If you're a beginner, start small, for example with 3 days of cardio for 15-30 minutes, gradually adding time each week to give your body time to adapt.




http://www.superskinnyme.com/best-ab-workout.html

Rock Solid Abs Workout (Day 2)

Rock Solid Abs Workout

 

 

4. STABILITY BALL PLANK & ROLL 

BODY PART TARGETED:  STOMACH (RECTUS ABDOMINIS), CORE (TRANSVERSE ABDOMINUS) & BALANCE AND COORDINATION



EXERCISE MOVEMENT:

• Kneel behind a stability ball and place your bent elbows/ forearms on top the ball.
• Now lift your knees off the ground and form a straight line between your head, shoulders, hips, knees, and feet. Your feet should be about hip-width apart.
• Draw your abs in tight, keep your weight in your arms and your elbows below your shoulders. This is your starting position.
• With control, slowly roll the stability ball about a little forward/ away from your body.

TIP: Lift your hips higher if it feels uncomfortable in your lower back. You can increase the difficulty of the exercise by increasing distance you move the ball away from your body.

5. STABILITY BALL PUSH BACK 

BODY PART TARGETED:  BACK (ERECTOR SPINAE), STOMACH (RECTUS ABDOMINIS) & CORE (TRANSVERSE ABDOMINUS)



EXERCISE MOVEMENT:

• With your arms extended, put your hands on the floor and your feet on the stability ball.
• Your feet, hips and shoulder should form a straight line, and your hands should be below your shoulders. This is your starting position.
• Pressing against the floor with your hands, slowly push your body backwards, allowing the ball to roll back. Draw your abs in tight (belly button pulled in towards spine).
• Roll forwards back to your starting position.

TIP: Your hands should remain in the same place on the ground. Lift your hips higher to stop your back arching if it feels uncomfortable in your lower back.

6. SPIDERMAN

 BODY PART TARGETED:  CORE (TRANSVERSUS ABDOMINIS), STOMACH (RECTUS ABDOMINIS), UPPER BACK (LATS), SHOULDERS (DELTOIDS) AND REAR UPPER ARMS (TRICEPS)



EXERCISE MOVEMENT:

• Start in the standard push up position, with your hands below your shoulders, and your body in a straight line.
• Lift your right foot off the ground and bring your right knee to your side until it touches your right elbow.
• Return to your starting position and repeat on the other side. 

TIP: Keep your abs tight and minimize hip movement.

"THE BIG GYMNASIUM'S" DAILY FITNESS TIPS

(Golden Weight Loss Tips)

Rules of Weight Loss:
Calculate your BMR (basal metabolic rate): Your BMR is the amount of calories your body needs to maintain basic bodily functions like breathing and digestion. This is the minimum number of calories you need to eat each day. Keep in mind that no calculator will be 100% accurate, so you may need to adjust these numbers as you learn more about your own metabolism.

Add it up: Take your BMR (basal metabolic rate) number and add your activity calories. Then subtract your food calories from that total. If you're eating more than your BMR + your activity calories, you're at risk for gaining weight.




http://www.superskinnyme.com/best-ab-workout.html 

(Day 2 ) How to Lose Lower Belly Fat – 10 Exercises to Tone the Lower Belly

How to Lose Lower Belly Fat – 10 Exercises to Tone the Lower Belly

 

4. REVERSE CRUNCHES

 

EXERCISE MOVEMENT 

• Lie on your back with your knees bent at 90 degrees. With your palms facing down, place your arms by your sides for support.  This is your starting position.
• With abs contracted and your back pressed into the floor, curl your knees towards your chest as your exhale, your butt may also lift off  the floor.
• As you inhale, slowly and with control lower your legs until your feet almost touch the floor.

5. SCISSORS/ FLUTTER KICKS

 

EXERCISE MOVEMENT 

• Lie on your back with your head and shoulders lifted off the floor and your hands behind your head if you need some support for your neck.  With both legs extended and toes pointed, lift your right leg off the floor so that it is perpendicular with your upper body (keep your lifted leg as straight as you can) and raise your left leg just a few inches off the ground.
• Quickly and with control swap leg positions: Drop your right leg swiftly down so that it hovers a few inches off the ground and simultaneously raise your left leg up towards the ceiling.
• Without pause, alternate back and forth. Up and down on each leg is one repetition. Aim for 6 – 8 repetitions.

6. V-SITS

 

 

EXERCISE MOVEMENT 

• Sit with your feet lifted off the ground and your knees bent into your chest. Place your hands on the floor just behind your bottom. Engage your core by pulling your belly button into your spine. This is your starting position.
• With control, lean your upper body right back and at the same time extend both legs straight out. Return to the start position. That’s one repetition. Aim for up to 3 sets of 10 reps.
• Keep your abs engaged during the movement. If this move is too challenging, instead of extending your legs, keep your knees bent as you lower and raise your upper body.

"THE BIG GYMNASIUM'S" DAILY FITNESS TIPS

Golden Weight Loss Tips:

Rules of Weight Loss:

Calculate your BMR (basal metabolic rate): Your BMR is the amount of calories your body needs to maintain basic bodily functions like breathing and digestion. This is the minimum number of calories you need to eat each day. Keep in mind that no calculator will be 100% accurate, so you may need to adjust these numbers as you learn more about your own metabolism.


Tomorrow: More Lower Belly Exercises



http://www.superskinnyme.com/how-to-lose-lower-belly-fat.html