It never fails but as soon as I wrote all my Weight Loss, Weight Gain, Fitness and Nutrition type of tips I had a few left over that couldn’t really be placed into these categories.

But as you will see they are right on the money for your general health and fitness and can be used in your everyday activities.

Lets take a peek:

What Is A Healthy Diet – A healthy diet satisfies two criteria: It contains enough fibre and a number of micronutrients including vitamins and minerals to maintain a healthy body. It is balanced in forms of fat, protein, and carbohydrates and micronutrients.

Don’t Train With The Flu – This is one of the biggest exercise blunders you can make A number of temperature raising viruses, including the flu can affect the muscles.

People often forget that the heart is also a muscle and can be weakened by the flu virus. Normally our hearts can cope with the strain of this, but exercising on top of an already weakened heart is potentially fatal. After a bout of the flu, you should wait at least 48 hours before exercising again.

Cool Down – When you do a strenuous workout the blood vessels in your muscles dilate to deliver more blood for the muscles to operate. The skin vessels also dilate to increase the heat loss from your body, which is why you get flushed after exercise.

If you don’t give your blood and skin vessels enough time to recover, and jump straight under hot water your skin vessels will dilate even further. Then your heart goes into overdrive trying to pump blood throughout the body.

Ultimately you might notice symptoms like faintness, dizziness or at worst, you could even collapse.

Don’t Eat Before Exercising – Always try to eat two or three hours before your exercise and not after that. If you do eat before exercise you can develop what is known as “dumping syndrome’ where the blood supply that normally goes to your muscles during exercise is diverted to your gut.

This means that you’re not getting enough blood to your muscles, which can cause you to become lethargic and faint.

Try to Give Up Smoking – the best and easiest way to give up smoking is to replace it with another habit. Unfortunately, quitting has been associated with weight gain if you replace your cigarette habit with a candy or snack food habit.

So replace the smoking with the habit of exercise!! Nothing tough or painful at first and build up to it. A five minute walk instead of a cigarette and aim to build it up slowly and easily.

Before, you will be fitter, you will be healthier and your body will be more you realize tight and toned.

You will feel better in the morning, your breath will be worth being near again and fingernails, hair and skin will take on a much younger fresher look!! Of the people who die from lung cancer, 95% of them smoke.

Protein Power – Carbohydrates supply the sort of calories easily burned during cardiovascular exercise, but protein plays an important part in building muscle mass – or rather in not storing food as fat. “This is largely because the bulk of protein that is eaten will be used to build muscle”.

Further the average male will lose 500gms of muscle – not fat – every year once he stops regular exercise. While older men and women are usually touted as the beneficiaries of strength training so to are the young.

Planned Exercise – I suggest you start with 100 minutes per week of mildly puffing exercise be it 2×50 mins, 3×35 mins, 4×25 mins, 5×20 mins all of which produce the same results.

Mix up your aerobic activities in the gym; use the treadmill, bike, climber or any other training gear available to you.

Keep A Training Log – Keep a training log for all your fitness requirements, keeping account of the reps you are using, how many sets, what weights you are using and also the date, time and where the workout took place is imperative for gauging your day to day progress.

Also recording all cardio- vascular activities is just as important.

In conclusion, these general health and fitness might have been left to last but the are still right up there as far as your health and fitness is concerned.

Gary Matthews
http://www.articlesbase.com/fitness-articles/8-ways-to-general-health-and-fitness-135820.html

John Howard, the Prime Minister of Australia, would have arguably one of the most stressful and demanding jobs in the country. Yet he still finds time for his daily fitness walk. He regards exercise and fitness as an important part of his daily timetable and sticks to this morning schedule no matter where he is. This message from the top highlights the critical importance of exercise in combating stress, anxiety and depression.

We all know how important exercise is for weight loss, cardiovascular health, combating diabetes and maintaining a high level of fitness. Our bodies are designed to be active and any program that enhances this is beneficial to our health. Activities that boost our fitness can range from gardening and walking to sports including tennis and swimming up to the extreme sports, including high altitude mountain climbing.

According to exercise physiologist Chris Tzar, exercise is now considered a primary treatment for mild and moderate depression. Jeff Kennett, a former Premier of Victoria, is now chairman of Beyond Blue, an Australian depression initiative. He also stresses the importance of exercise and fitness in beating depression. “Whether you walk, swim, play golf or go hang gliding, I don’t care, but physical fitness is terribly important to our wellbeing,” he says.

WHY IS EXERCISE SO IMPORTANT?

There are a number of theories about the mechanisms behind exercise therapy to treat depression. Some suggest exercise increases the release of endorphins and other “feel good” hormones that have a similar uplifting effect to prescription antidepressants. Others believe that exercise develops greater self confidence and enables people to develop new relationships.

Exercise can also create a diversion, taking the individual’s mind off his/her problem. Some years ago, I suffered from work related stress and depression.
Fortunately I was [and still am] a keen tennis player. The simple action of stepping onto the court, the hard, competitive physical activity and the camaraderie of other players, did wonders for my sense of wellbeing.

AEROBIC EXERCISES.

Several types of aerobic exercise have been found to reduce the symptoms of depression including running, cycling, jogging, swimming or going for a 20 minute walk. These types of activities may not be appropriate for some older adults. Gardening or a short walk around the block may be more suitable for those in this age group. In older people, exercise has been found to be just as beneficial as antidepressant medication or social contact according to Beyond Blue.

STRENGTH TRAINING.

Strength training and weights can also reduce some symptoms of depression.
According to Edith Cowan University exercise science professor Robert Newton, the most convincing research to date showed high intensity weight lifting resistance training was far superior in curbing anxiety and depression than either low intensity training or just remaining on the couch.

In an Australian study published in the Journal of Gerontology in 2005, high intensity strength training was shown to reduce depression as effectively as drug therapy. There is growing evidence that strength training should be offered as a primary treatment for depression in older adults. It provides additional benefits including strengthening bones [better osteoporosis management], preventing falls and managing arthritis.

Finally, before commencing any exercise program, it is important that you discuss your plans with your doctor. You may like to consider a tailored exercise program with an exercise physiologist.

Graeme Lanham
http://www.articlesbase.com/non-fiction-articles/beat-depression-and-stress-with-exercise-98301.html

Face it, you have children, you have work, and you have a schedule that makes you tired just to THINK about it. It seems as if there just are not enough hours in the day. So how in the world are you going to continue to workout during the all of this rush?

First – you need to make your fitness a priority. I know there are a million other very important things going on in your life, but value the investment that you have already made in your health, and maintain some type of fitness even throughout hectic times. If you cannot workout everyday, exercising two to three times per week at a higher intensity will enable you to maintain your current level of fitness for up to three weeks. Inactivity, however, will smash your fitness level and make your return to the gym a less pleasant experience.

Once you decide that continuing an exercise program is important, you need to figure out how to make it happen. An important part of maintaining a fitness program is to recognize that you can exercise anywhere. Are you traveling? Pack your sneakers and go for a walk or jog wherever you end up. Crunches are pushups are easy ways to maintain your strength training when you are away from the gym.

Here are 10 ways to exercise without even realizing it:

1. Park your car farther away. The more steps you take during the day, the more exercise you’re getting.

2. Go Dancing. You’d be surprised how many calories dancing can burn

3. Participate in a charity walk or bike ride. There are bound to be several near you and most cater to all fitness levels.

4. Play with your kids. Trying to keep up with them is sure to burn calories!

5. Take the stairs. If possible, walk up the stairs at work or in your apartment.

6. Lift your legs at work. While sitting in your chair at work or at home watching TV, simply raise your legs in front of you and hold for 15-30 seconds at a time.

7. Squeeze a stress ball. Buy a stress ball that you can squeeze while you’re at work or watching television. Doing so will improve your blood flow, flexibility, burn calories and relieve tension!

8. Stretch, do warm-ups, or ride your exercise bike while watching television.

9. Walk around your office or outside during lunch.

10. Do some chores. Shoveling snow, working in the garden, raking leaves, sweeping the floor…these kinds of activities may not be ‘vigorous’ exercise, but they can keep you moving while getting your house in order.

Finally – reap the benefits of making some time for fitness. Maintaining your fitness routine will allow you a bit of time for yourself. Even 20 – 30 minutes of exercise in your day will help you to remember that your health is important, and that YOU are important. And in addition to burning calories while you are working out, you will probably find that when you feel better about your activity for the day you will eat better as well. Remember: Your health is truly priceless…so don’t stop investing in it!

Stacie Battjes
http://www.articlesbase.com/health-articles/making-time-for-fitness-104136.html