Interval Training

Interval training is a way of doing cardio that will give you the ability to make gains in time and distance much more easily than any other method. The principle of interval training is that you push yourself really hard and then you slow down.

This repetitive form of training leads to your body needing to adapt to changes and this is really great for you. The body begins to build new capillaries, and is better able to take in and deliver oxygen to the working muscles. Muscles develop a higher tolerance to the build-up of lactate, and the heart muscle is strengthened. These changes result in improved performance particularly within the cardiovascular system.

When people begin running they automatically do interval training where they will alternate walking and running to get a better workout in. As people get better at running they will start just running and not stopping until the 30 or 60 minute run is over. The upside of this is that you will get a much better workout and feel fantastically exhausted at the end, the downside of interval training is that you are going to be pushing your comfort zone so the workout itself is going to be painful

So how can you implement interval training into your regular workouts? I have a few examples. When you begin running as I said before you are going to have trouble running for any length of time so you decide that you are going for 20 minutes and you will do cycles of jogging for 30 seconds and then walking for 30 seconds. As you get better at running you will be able to jog for one minute and then walk for 30 seconds. You will notice that your rest stays the same but the running time increases until you get to the point that you do not need a rest for your 30 minute run.

As an advanced runner you are not going to slow down for a walk but instead your will run for 5 minutes and then break into a spring for 30 seconds or a minute and then slow back down to your regular pace. As another way to do interval training you can go to another location that is more hilly and use the uphills to change up your pace. The hills are going to force you push harder to keep the same pace and of course the downhills are going to use different muscles but as far as exertion goes you will find the running easier.

Try interval training soon either indoors on a treadmill or outdoors as long as the weather cooperates.

The post Interval Training appeared first on Fitness Tips for Life.

Related posts:

1. Best Way To Improve Cardio Workouts Found this great bit of info from mercola.com. Apparently the best way to really pick up a cardio workout is...
2. High Intensity Interval Training One of the greatest ways to exercise is to use a very quick and heavy workout with weights. This method...
3. Effective Interval Training Workout Interval training workout can be done in a variety of different ways. Here’s a wickedly-effective type of interval training workout:...

https://ift.tt/2C4zCzr

Starting to lift weights – Part 1

Now that fall is in full swing and the baseball playoffs are winding down most of our exercise is going to need to take place indoors instead of the outdoors that it is so easy to do in the summertime. There are of course two kinds of exercise, weights and cardio.

First I want to apologize in advance to any hardcore lifters here. Most of this stuff is a bit of a review for you.

Sometimes I think that everyone of course lifts weights on at least a weekly basis. Of course this is not fair as most people, although well meaning, have never lifted weights in their life and are not about to join a gym to start lifting weights this week.

The simple fact is that the more muscle that you have the more calories that you body will need to burn in order to maintain your . This fact alone should make any person looking to lose to start looking at the gyms that they drive by.

The simple fact is that if you have never lifted weights just think of this time between now and the beginning of the New Year as the best time to start warming up to the idea of lifting weights. If you start lifting some kinds of weights at home then you can get stronger, build muscle mass and when the new year comes with all of the gyms giving great deals to join you will have a better idea if you want to join a real gym or not.

First of all I think that it is easy enough to get some light weights that you can start lifting with at home. Either look in the classifieds in your local paper or go to the local pawn shop or used sporting goods place and get some 5, 10, and 15 pounds dumbbells, women can probably get away with 2.5, 3, and 5 pound weights to start with.

So what if you have no weights at home? First of all are all of the regular calisthenics that we all know. You can do things like push-ups for your chest, shoulders and triceps, lunges for your legs, and sit-ups for your abs.

If you would like to start doing weights proper then you have many options. Look around the kitchen and you probably have some heavy bottles or cans that you can do bicep curls with, you have kitchen chairs that you can do front laterals with. There are many options and if you look around I am sure that you can improvise with what you already have.

I will write another article this week about what kind of workouts to do exactly but this week why not just try to find a few kinds of exercises that you can do around the house if you have no weights and if you can beg, borrow, or steal some weights it will make things a lot easier

The post Starting to lift weights – Part 1 appeared first on Fitness Tips for Life.

Related posts:

1. Does Lifting Weights Burn Fat? I always get asked does lifting weights burn fat? People who want to drop extra pounds often turn to cardiovascular...
2. Getting Started Weight Training There seems to be two ways of looking at weight lifting. One method is to warmup and then progressively increase...
3. How to Lift Weights to Lose Weight Weight training or to lift weights to lose weight plays an important role in your goal to lose weight. While...

https://ift.tt/2L9iuex

Weekly Motivation Checkup #MotivationMonday

It is very important to keep our motivation and to make changes or at least keep changes in our life that are good while at the same time pushing out bad habits.

The problem that we sometimes run into though is complacency.

The Danger of Complacency

Complacency always rears its head at the same time that we are working towards some kind of big goal and are part way there.

How many times do you find yourself losing weight, meeting people, getting a better diet going and then you suddenly stop or plateau in your changes?

I have, you have, we all have gotten bored of change

The thing with life is that we interact with people. Some of these people we perceive as better and some we perceive as not quite as good as us and when we make changes we suddenly feel like we have made great changes compared to those around us.

This can make us either get uncomfortable with being so different or think we gotten it all right. Both of these thoughts are dangerous and avoidable.

Let’s stop comparing ourselves with others

OK, so I wanted today to write about a Weekly motivation check, this is something that I borrow from Getting Things Done.

In that book, David Allen wrote about having a Sunday night check of what has happened last week and plan this week. This is critical so that the world does not force you to follow it and instead you take some control over your life.

So take this challenge up for yourself on Sunday. Ask yourself a few questions and YOU get to decide how you are doing, not everyone else

Weekly Fitness Motivation Checkup

Here are the questions from last week:

1. How did I eat everyday? Good? Bad? What did I eat, how did I fail by cheating, how do I feel about me eating overall?

2. How many times did I workout? How hard was each workout? Did I get more cardio or weights in?

3. How was my rest? Have I kept free time for myself? Are there things in my life keeping me too busy that should not have done?

4. Who was I looking at for motivation in areas of my life? Did I listen to others or my own body telling me what to do?

Here are the questions for the week to come. Remember these are based on the answers from the questions above.

1. Based on last weeks eating, Can I take it up a notch, can I plan my eating better? How can I avoid the cheating or want of bad foods?

2. What is my workout schedule? How can I make it better? Do I need easier workouts? Harder workouts? More or fewer days off? Would work out at a different time of day help?

3. How will I make sure that I take care of myself this week? Go to dinner? Go to a movie? Read a different book? Meet some new friends? Step outside my comfort zone socially?

4. How can I improve myself in all the different parts of my life? What one part of my life is really lacking and what will I do this week to improve that.

Eight Questions? Twenty questions? Not quite sure how many that adds up to but it is really just a starting point for you.

The idea, of course, is to take a snapshot in time (Sunday Night) for just a few minutes and see what is working and not working in your life and decide how you will push it harder this coming week to live a more exciting life full of joy, passion, happiness, and excitement.

The post Weekly Motivation Checkup #MotivationMonday appeared first on Fitness Tips for Life.

Related posts:

Weekly Planning Motivation Week – what did we learn Ability Motivation Atitude

http://ift.tt/21L2SRb

How To Treat Depression

Depression is a very debilitating condition. While treatments are many and readily available, the stigma of depression makes it difficult for some to get the help that they need.

Learning how to treat depression is actually a simple question to answer. It starts by accepting that you have depression and realizing that you need professional help to manage and treat it.

Psychiatric Help for Depression

Psychiatric care is one of the ways to treat depression for those that suffer from it. It is a classical way of managing depression especially for those that have traumatic events as a root cause of depression.

Talking with a psychiatrist makes it possible to recognize the events that cause depression and look for ways to deal with them. By expressing your feelings, you will be able to voice out the things that are causing you to be sad, angry or stressed.

How To Treat Depression

In turn, these professionals can help you manage depression by coming to terms with your own problems.

They empower you to act towards solving your problems and showing you how you can deal with and take control of your lives. Doing so leads to healthier relationships with others and with yourself.

Medication for Depression

Along with therapy, medication is also a way to treat depression. There are several prescription antidepressants which one can take to stabilize moods.

Relaxants and other medication can also help in dealing with chemical imbalances which can be the cause of depression.

While it was initially perceived with apprehension, medication for treating depression has been credited with helping many people manage and overcome this disorder. It is important to note that any medication should be done under the supervision of a professional doctor.

Self-medication can often do more harm in cases like these.

Alternative Medicine and Lifestyle Changes

Herbal medicine and holistic approaches such as yoga, acupuncture, and spa or massage sessions can also cure depression in a natural way.

These treatment methods done in conjunction with medical prescriptions can improve the well-being of a person that suffers from depression.

A lifestyle change to incorporate healthier activities is also important in how to treat depression.

By exercising regularly and eating healthy food, you can lower the risk of getting depression as well as make it easier for the body to overcome it.

There are many methods of treating depression which gives hope to those that suffer from it. Depression is no longer a feared disorder, it just needs to be diagnosed and treated the right way.

The post How To Treat Depression appeared first on Fitness Tips for Life.

Related posts:

How to Stop Depression Do I Have Depression? How To Know If You Are Depressed Agitated Depression Symptoms and Treatment

http://ift.tt/1MgATPX