In my combined 37 years on this planet, I’ve cycled in and out of exercise programs more times than I care to count. And while I seem to be doing OK right now — I do something fitness-related every day — there’s just no telling what … Continue Reading…

But very few people consider about the continuity of the exercise they do. They don t manage to start and maintain structured exercise programs for a long term. So, here they are some tips for you, to make your exercise fun and steady. … Continue Reading…

Fat burning exercises are the slow, aerobic, long duration types of exercise that involve most of the major muscle groups. Your body will burn a higher percentage of calories from fat with lower intensity cardio exercises.

Fat burning exercises are the slow, aerobic, long duration types of exercise that involve most of the major muscle groups. Your body will burn a higher percentage of calories from fat with lower intensity cardio exercises.

Fat burning exercises include walking, jogging, running, elliptical exercise trainer workouts, cycling and swimming. The key factor to keep in mind is the more muscle groups you use, the more fat you’ll burn.

Different type of exercises will burn more sugar rather than burning fat. Sugar burning exercises involve brief spurts of movement followed by rest which results in more sugar that is used for fuel instead of fat.

Sugar burning exercises include sprinting, tennis, racquetball, basketball, and golf. While these are great sports that benefit your overall fitness condition, they are different type of exercises that will not burn as much fat like fat burning exercises will.

To burn fat effectively, exercise at a moderate pace for a longer period of time. The residual effect of this type of aerobic exercise gives you the most benefits.

These aerobic fat burning exercises increase your metabolism which means you’ll burn calories long after you exercise. People who exercise on a regular basis develop more fat burning enzymes than people who don’t exercise at all.

By doing just twenty minutes of fat burning exercises you get those fat burning enzymes working. So if you are just starting out, exercise for at least twenty minutes and work up from there as your fitness level improves. Try to set 3 days a week as your goal to workout and work up to 5 days as you become more fit.

Home treadmills and elliptical exercise trainers are perfect for fat burning exercises. These fitness machines will give you the slow, aerobic, long duration types of exercise that work best to burn fat.

They are the most popular pieces for home gyms because they allow you to stay fit in any weather condition. They are easy to use and cost efficient because quality fitness equipment will last for many years.

If you want to reduce body fat, eating properly will always help. But by combining it with fat burning exercises, it will give you the excellent results you are looking for.

Copyright 2005 Treadmill Info.com All Rights Reserved.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

There are two main types of diabetes, type I and type II. Type I diabetes is characterized by the pancreas making too little or no insulin. An individual with diabetes type I will have to inject insulin throughout the day in order to control glucose levels. Type II diabetes, also known as adult onset diabetes, is characterized by the pancreas not producing enough insulin to control glucose levels or the cells not responding to insulin. When a cell does not respond to insulin, it is known as insulin resistance. When a subject is diagnosed with type II diabetes, exercise and weight control are prescribed as measures to help with insulin resistance. If this does not control glucose levels, then medication is prescribed. The risk factors for type II diabetes include: inactivity, high cholesterol, obesity, and hypertension. Inactivity alone is a very strong risk factor that has been proven to lead to diabetes type II. Exercise will have a positive effect on diabetes type II while improving insulin sensitivity while type I cannot be controlled be an exercise program. Over 90% of individuals with diabetes have type II.

Exercise causes the body to process glucose faster, which lowers blood sugar. The more intense the exercise, the faster the body will utilize glucose. Therefore it is important to understand the differences in training with type I and type II diabetes. It is important for an individual who has diabetes to check with a physician before beginning an exercise program. When training with a diabetic, it is important to understand the dangers of injecting insulin immediately prior to exercise. An individual with type I diabetes injecting their normal amount of insulin for a sedentary situation can pose the risk of hypoglycemia or insulin shock during exercise. General exercise guidelines for type I are as follows: allow adequate rest during exercise sessions to prevent high blood pressure, use low impact exercises and avoid heavy weight lifting, and always have a supply of carbohydrates nearby. If blood sugar levels get too low, the individual may feel shaky, disoriented, hungry, anxious, become irritable or experience trembling. Consuming a carbohydrate snack or beverage will alleviate these symptoms in a matter of minutes.

Before engaging in exercise, it is important for blood sugar levels to be tested to make sure that they are not below 80 to 100 mg/dl range and not above 250 mg/dl. Glucose levels should also be tested before, during, after and three to five hours after exercise. During this recovery period (3-5 hours after exercise), it is important for diabetics to consume ample carbohydrates in order to prevent hypoglycemia.

Exercise will greatly benefit an individual with type II diabetes because of its positive effects on insulin sensitivity. Proper exercise and nutrition are the best forms of prevention for type II diabetics. It is important for training protocols to be repeated almost daily to help with sustaining insulin sensitivity. To prevent hypoglycemia, progressively work up to strenuous activity.

As with individuals with type I diabetes, carbohydrates should also be present during training to assist in raising blood sugar levels if the individual becomes low.

Article from Health Giants Newsletter: http://health-giants.blogspot.com

About the Author

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Circuit Training & Circuit Training Routines

Circuit training routines are one of my favourite training sessions, whether for myself personally, or for clients. I use circuit training as part of injury rehabilitation programs, for conditioning elite level athletes, or to help my clients lose weight. I use circuits for just about everything.

I was introduced to circuit training routines by an exceptional sports coach by the name of Col Stewart. Col is one of those rare coaches who can take just about any sport, and devise a specific training program that always produces outstanding improvements for his athletes.

Col’s circuit training routines are largely responsible for the success of many of his world champion athletes. Including his son, Miles Stewart (World Champion Triathlete), Mick Doohan (World 500cc Motorcycle Champion), and countless others from sports as diverse as roller-skating, squash, and cycling.

Many other coaches are also impressed by circuit training and use it regularly.

Brian Mackenzie from Sports Coach says, “Circuit training is an excellent way to simultaneously improve mobility, strength and stamina.”

Workouts for Women state “circuit training is one of the best methods of exercising as it provides excellent all round fitness, tone, strength, and a reduction of weight and inches. In short, maximum results in minimum time.”

And another site referred to circuit training as “an ideal way to build versatility, overall strength and fitness, as well as to consolidate your mastery of a wide variety of physical skills.”

So what is Circuit Training?

Circuit training consists of a consecutive series of timed exercises performed one after the other with varying amounts of rest between each exercise.

For example, a simple circuit training routine might consist of push-ups, sit-ups, squats, chin-ups and lunges. The routine might be structured as follows, and could be continually repeated as many times as is necessary.

* Do as many push-ups as you can in 30 seconds, then rest for 30 seconds.
* Do as many squats as you can in 30 seconds, then rest for 30 seconds.
* Do as many sit-ups as you can in 30 seconds, then rest for 30 seconds.
* Do as many lunges as you can in 30 seconds, then rest for 30 seconds.
* Do as many chin-ups as you can in 30 seconds, then rest for 30 seconds.

What makes Circuit Training so good?

The quick pace and constant changing nature of circuit training places a unique type of stress on the body, which differs from normal exercise activities, like weight training and aerobics.

The demands of circuit training tend to prepare the body in a very even, all-round manner. I have found circuit training to be an exceptional form of exercise to aid in the prevention of injury. Circuit training is one of the best ways I’ve found to condition your entire body (and mind).

There are many other reasons why circuit training is a fantastic form of exercise, and what most of these reasons come down to is flexibility. In other words, circuit training is totally customizable to your specific requirements.

Circuit training can be totally personalized. Whether you’re a beginner, or an elite athlete, you can modify your circuit training routine to give you the best possible results.

A circuit training routine can be modified to give you exactly what you want. Whether you want an all-over body workout, or you just want to work on a specific body area, or you need to work on a particular aspect of your sport, this can all be accommodated.

Also, you can change the focus of your circuit training routine to emphasize strength, endurance, agility, speed, skill development, weight loss, or any other aspect of your fitness that is important to you.

Circuit training is time efficient. No wasted time in between sets. It’s maximum results in minimum time.

You can do circuit training just about anywhere. One of my favourite places for doing circuit training is at some of the parks and playground areas near where I live.

Circuit training is a favourite form of exercise for the British Royal Marine Commandos because they tend to spend a lot of time on large ships. The confined spaces means that circuit training is sometimes the only form of exercise available to them.

You don’t need expensive equipment. You don’t even need a gym membership. You can just as easily put together a great circuit training routine at home or in a park. By using your imagination, you can devise all sorts of exercises using things like chairs and tables, and even children’s outdoor play equipment like swings and monkey bars.

Another reason why I like circuit training so much is that it’s great fun to do in pairs or groups. Half the group exercises while the other half rests and motivates the exercising members of the group.

The main types of Circuit Training

As mentioned before, circuit training can be totally customized, which means there are an unlimited number of different ways you can structure your circuit training routine. However, here are a few examples to give you some idea of the different types available.

Timed Circuit
This type of circuit involves working to a set time period for both rest and exercise intervals. For example, a typical timed circuit might involve 30 seconds of exercise and 30 seconds of rest in between each exercise.

Competition Circuit
This is similar to a timed circuit but you push yourself to see how many repetitions you can do in the set time period. For example, you may be able to complete 12 push-ups in 30 seconds. The idea is to keep the time period the same, but try to increase the number of repetitions you can do in the set time period.

Repetition Circuit
This type of circuit is great if you’re working with large groups of people who have different levels of fitness and ability. The idea is that the fittest group might do, say 20 repetitions of each exercise, the intermediate group might only do 15 repetitions, while the beginners might only do 10 repetitions of each exercise.

Sport Specific or Running Circuit
This type of circuit is best done outside or in a large, open area. Choose exercises that are specific to your particular sport, or emphasize an aspect of your sport you’d like to improve. Then instead of simply resting between exercises, run easy for 200 or 400 metres. You can even use sprints or fast 400 metre runs as part of your choice of exercises.

Some Important Precautions

Circuit training is a fantastic form of exercise, however, the most common problem I find is that people tend to get over excited, because of the timed nature of the exercises, and push themselves harder than they normally would. This tends to result in sore muscles and joints, and an increased likelihood of injury.

Below are two precautions you need to take into consideration.

Firstly, your level of fitness. If you’ve never done any sort of circuit training before, even if you consider yourself quite fit, start off slowly. The nature of circuit training is quite different to any other form of exercise. It places different demand on the body and mind, and if you’re not used to it, it will take a few sessions for your body to adapt to this new form of training. Be patient.

Secondly, you’re warm-up and cool-down are crucial. Don’t ever start a circuit training routine without a thorough warm-up that includes stretching. As I mentioned before, circuit training is very different from other forms of exercise. Your body must be prepared for circuit training before you start your session.

For more information on how to warm-up and cool-down properly, review the following articles.

Warm-up: http://www.thestretchinghandbook.com/archives/warm-up.htm
Cool-down: http://www.thestretchinghandbook.com/archives/cool-down.htm

Article by Brad Walker. Brad is a leading stretching and sports injury consultant with over 15 years experience in the health and fitness industry. For more articles on the prevention & treatment of sports injury, subscribe to The Stretching & Sports Injury Newsletter by visiting http://www.thestretchinghandbook.com/.

STRETCHING - Scientifically, The latest scientific studies and research findings.Brad Walker - Walkerbout Health Pty LtdSTRETCHING - Scientifically

Without a doubt, the most common questions I’m asked is; “What’s your view on the latest scientific studies and research findings in regards to stretching?”

The short answer is; “They all make for interesting reading, but I don’t put a huge amount of confidence in them.” Let me explain why.

Most of the studies I’ve reviewed attempt to determine the effects of stretching on injury prevention. This is a mistake in itself, and shows a lack of understanding as to how stretching is used as part of an injury prevention program.

Stretching, by itself, will not prevent injury. In fact, stretching can cause injury if certain precautions aren’t taken.

Plus, it’s not just a flexibility problem that can lead to injury. It could be a strength imbalance. It could be a stability or balance problem. It could be a proprioceptive imbalance. It could have to do with postural imbalances. It could have to do with physical imbalances like leg length differences. Or, it could simply be a matter of trying to do too much, too soon.

Stretching is just one very important component that assists in reducing the risk of injury. The best results are achieved when stretching is used in combination with other injury reduction techniques.

Stretching and its effect on physical performance and injury prevention is something that just can’t be measured scientifically. The effects of stretching are very hard to measure and all the studies that I have seen are nothing more than anecdotal studies. Meaning the results achieved, or not achieved, are simply that persons perception of what has improved or not improved.

You see, stretching is not a science. It is near impossible to PROVE anything about stretching, scientifically. Sure you can measure the effect of stretching on flexibility with simple tests like the “Site and Reach test” but then to determine how that affects athletic performance or injury susceptibility is near impossible. The only way to do it would be with muscle biopsy’s, which can be extremely painful and lead to muscle damage if done repeatedly.

I’ve seen so many people benefit from stretching and increased flexibility, that I’m absolutely positive it is beneficial. Most people involved in the “hands-on” side of coaching and sports training aren’t worried by this type of study. It’s mostly the academics that do the majority of there coaching from behind a desk, that are influenced by these studies.

So what can we say about the benefits of stretching…

Firstly
Upon undertaking a regular stretching program a number of changes occur within the body. Firstly, by placing particular parts of the body in certain positions, we are able to increase the length of muscles and tendons. As a result of this, a reduction in general muscle tension is achieved and our normal range of movement is increased.

By increasing our range of movement we are increasing the distance our limbs can move before damage occurs to the muscles and tendons. For example, the muscles and tendons in the back of our legs are put under great strain when kicking a football. Therefore, the more flexible and pliable those muscles are, the further our leg can travel forward before a strain or injury occurs to them.

The benefits of an extended range of movement includes: increased comfort; a greater ability to move freely; and a lessening of our susceptibility to muscle and tendon strain injuries.

Secondly
There is a dangerous stretching myth that says, ‘if you stretch too much you will lose both joint stability and muscle power. This is totally untrue. By increasing our muscle and tendon length we are increasing the distance over which our muscles are able to contract. This results in a potential increase to our muscles’ power and therefore increases our athletic ability, while also leading to an improvement in dynamic balance, or the ability to control our muscles.

Thirdly
We have all experienced what happens when you go for a run or to the gym for the first time in a few months. The following day our muscles are tight, sore, stiff and it’s usually hard to even walk down a flight of stairs. This soreness that usually accompanies strenuous physical activity is often referred to as post exercise muscle soreness. This soreness is the result of micro tears, (minute tears within the muscle fibres), blood pooling and accumulated waste products, such as lactic acid. Stretching, as part of an effective cool-down, helps to alleviate this soreness by lengthening the individual muscle fibres, increasing blood circulation and removing waste products.

Fourthly
Fatigue is a major problem for everyone, especially those who exercise. It results in a decrease in both physical and mental performance. Increased flexibility through stretching can help prevent the effects of fatigue by taking pressure off the working muscles. For every muscle in the body has an opposite or opposing muscle and if the opposing muscles are more flexible, the working muscles do not have to exert as much force against the opposing muscles. Therefore each movement of the working muscles actually takes less effort.

And finally
Any person who experiences the benefits of stretching is certainly more likely to feel good about themselves. This leads to a confidence and assuredness, which helps to enhance physical performance and motivate the individual to participate in exercise.

Article by Brad Walker. Brad is a leading stretching and sports injury consultant with over 15 years experience in the health and fitness industry. For more articles on the prevention & treatment of sports injury, subscribe to The Stretching & Sports Injury Newsletter by visiting http://www.thestretchinghandbook.com/.

Whether youre a seasoned athlete whos been training all your life, or just getting started on a new exercise program, finding time to workout when the warm weather hits can become a rather daunting challenge.

From ballgames to backyard barbecues, the warm weather brings many activities that can lead to more eating and less exercise. Life is not a dress rehearsal, and for most of us, giving up a day of picnicking on the beach or a sunny morning on the golf course for the dank artificial cool of the local health club, presents no real choice.

So go ahead, bring the kids to the park, spend the weekend at the shore, do whatever it is your heart desires while the sun sits high in the sky.

Exercise and summer fun can go hand and hand achieving a sort-of two bird with one stone effect. And by following a few simple suggestions, you can turn your day at the shore into fun and fitness.

Walk It Off

Instead of just lying on the beach all day, take a walk along the shoreline. The extra effort that it takes to walk briskly on the soft, sandy surface will contribute to the overall fat
burning effect. While vacationing at your favorite summer getaway, steer clear of cars and cabs, and walk wherever and whenever possible. On
a recent trip to Las Vegas, I logged in an average of 6 miles every day (as measured by a pedometer) simply by walking to and from various hotels, restaurants and casinos all day.

Undoubtedly, this helped balance out the all-you-can-eat buffet food.

Play Dont Lay

Get off that beach blanket and join in the fun play some volleyball, toss around a frisbee, go for a swim, or bodysurf. Just dont lie there for 4 hours roasting in the sun. If picnicking with friends or family members, organize or join in a softball game, play horseshoes, or take a hike in the woods. Get in the middle of whatever happens to be going on.

When vacationing at your favorite all-inclusive Caribbean Island, youll be offered to participate in an endless stream of events from an afternoon match of water polo to singing and dancing in a combination employee/guest Broadway like stage production. Dont pass the chance to make calorie burning this much fun.

Travel Light

Bodyweight alone can provide all or most of the resistance youll need to improve both strength and endurance, while at the same time burning fat and toning up the entire body.

The addition of some very lightweight, inexpensive items can provide you with a level of variety, safety, and an
overall more effective approach.

Resistance bands, or tubing have been popular with physical therapist for years, as they offer a safe and ffective way to challenge muscles when recovering from injury, without placing undue strain on surrounding joints. Lengths of tubing that come in various resistance levels, weigh almost nothing, take up virtually no space in the most over-packed suitcase. When combined with a simple door anchor, bands make available a wide variety of exercise options. They’re also are a great substitute for stationary and more expensive forms of resistance equipment.

An exercise mat is a must-have. Put it between yourself and any hotel room floor. Inexpensive mats ri-fold, and fit nicely folded into a traveling bag. It can be used to do push ups on a sandy surface, or sit ups on an unpadded floor. A good mat provides solid traction and footing for many
simple floor type exercises.

A summer day spent walking around any big city is a plethora of sights, sounds and beautiful experiences. living right outside Manhattan, Kim (a very special lady and my co-editor)
and I, put on a good pair of walking shoes and take the Long Island railroad into Penn Station without having a specific destination. We feel like were on vacation as we comb the
town on foot, having a great time, burning lots of calories
with every step.

So go ahead and enjoy yourself. The amount of stress relief youll gain from enjoying life will be well worth a few missed workouts. In the process, you can continue to exercise your body in a possibly, much needed, new fashion.

Youll be surprised at how a few simple adjustments and keep you fit all summer long.

Michael Stefano: Author of The Firefighter’s Workout Book, Not Just For Firefighters! Special Offer: Lose weight and get in the shape of your life with the FREE Train For Life ewsletter, as well as customized workouts for both men and women.
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