People undertake the sport of body building for all sorts of reasons, but fitness is probably the biggest one of all.  There’s no doubt that people who take the time to focus on the muscles in their body and honing them to a chiseled state are probably among the most fit of athletes.  We can easily use the terms body building and fitness interchangeably with each other.

We are a fitness conscious society, and body building fits in nicely with that concept.  Fitness means more than just losing weight and having a trim body.  It means living a healthy lifestyle and chiseling the best body you can through a variety of methods.

Body building for fitness is a great way to become the person you’ve always wanted to be.  Because becoming an effective body building means having the proper diet, you will realize a level of fitness you never knew was possible.  You should eat a well-balanced nutrition plan that gives you the nutrients you need to have a great body.

Because you are eating in this way, you will be giving your body essential nutrients that will make you healthy just by consuming them.  Body building requires a very specific diet with lots of protein and lots of carbohydrates.  Body builders are also very aware of what they are putting in their body, so fitness is achieved in the diet just by concentrating on what you eat.

Body building also requires a demanding workout schedule where you lift weights and perform exercises that focus on specific muscle groups as well as specific muscles.  When you begin to chisel those muscles, they become very well defined and healthier.  That’s why body building is great for a fitness regime.

Fitness is very important in living a healthy and full lifestyle.  Staying fit both in body and mind contributes to a sense of well-being that you won’t find when you are neglecting your health.  It is a million dollar industry that helps us stay fit and trim, and the help is out there aplenty when you look for it.

Body building for fitness is the best way you can go about not only losing weight but also gaining body mass and becoming stronger.  When you achieve the level of fitness you are desiring, you will be able to look in the mirror and be proud of what you see.  Why?  Because you did it yourself and you did it for YOU!

You are only 70 days away from total body tranformation no matter what the shape you are in. Transform yourself with this great program.

crosstraining for fitness

Being at your ideal weight is important not only for looking good and feeling better about yourself but also for your longevity.  Being fat makes you prone to diabetes, stroke, and heart disease.  Use these tips to get yourself in shape.

The numbers on your scale do not indicate whether you are fit or fat. Far more significant than your total body weight is the composition of your body tissue. If a man’s fatty tissue is bigger than 14% up to 15% of his body mass, or if a woman’s is more than 20% to 22%, he or she is overweight, or more precisely, overfat.

>>The 70 Day Transformation

A small amount of fat is needed for padding the internal organs and as insulation under the skin. Excess fat leads to such diseases as diabetes, gout, high blood pressure, coronary artery disease, and gallbladder problems. There are very few, very fat persons. The reason is that the fittest, not the fattest survive.

The problem now is focused on how to resolve the problem. The problem with most people who want to lose weight is that they have the propensity to concentrate more on getting those numbers lower than what they are seeing now. What happens next is that they strive harder to achieve a lower weight, according to the “ever reliable” result of the weighing scale.

It would be more important to think of the human body as a heat-exchange engine that works on the basic principles of energy physics. The caloric balance equals the total calorie intake minus the total calorie expenditure.

Some of the calories people ingest are used for basal metabolism. As people get old, their bodies require fewer calories for this basic upkeep. Some calories are excreted as waste products. Some go into “work metabolism,” the energy expenditure required for any physical activity.

Hence, if people take in more calories than are used by these functions, there is a definite caloric excess. By the laws of physics, energy is transformed rather than destroyed. In this case, each excess of 3,500 calories is changed into a pound of fat. If people want to reverse this process, they have to burn up 3,500 calories to lose a single pound.

Winning the War Against Fat

When you think of fighting fat with exercise, you probably think of hours of hard, sweaty exertion. If this is the case, then, you will not get any farther. This is because people who are so much into losing more by exerting more effort tend to get bored easily.

Why? Because experts contend that when people exert more effort than what they are capable of doing creates a tendency to develop weariness and ennui. Hence, they give up, stop doing their routine exercises, and end up sulking in the corner with a bag of chips that seems to have all the bad calories in this world.

Now, you might ask, “What should be done instead?” The answer: cross training.

After some intensive studies and experimentations, health experts were able to come up with the concept of incorporating cross training in order to overcome or break the monotony or dullness in an exercise program.

Cross training refers to the integration of diverse movements or activities into a person’s conventional exercise routine. The main purpose of incorporating cross training into an exercise program is to avoid overdoing excess muscle damages and to put a stop to an imminent boredom.

Three of the most commonly used activities whenever a person decides to engage into cross training are swimming, running, and cycling.

In cross training, distance is one way to extend your activity as your condition improves. For this reason, you need to traverse a measured distance.

If possible, swim the course and measure the distance. If you will be using a running track, such courses usually are a quarter-mile per lap for a complete circuit.

Cross training offers a variety of benefits for fitness and fatloss. It builds up the strength and endurance of the heart, lungs, and blood vessels. It has also some tranquilizing effect on the nerves, and it burns up calories as much as it makes your “losing weight” more bearable.

Cross training has three basic components:

1. Endurance exercises to condition the heart, lungs, and blood vessels and to induce relaxation. These begin with a careful planned walking and jogging regimen, depending on fitness level.

2. Exercises to strengthen the muscles, particularly those important to good posture. These include some activities that are selected to encourage some people who are already burnt out with a particular routine.

3. Exercises to improve joint mobility and prevent or relieve aches and pains. These consist of a series of static stretching positions that are safe and effective for most of the people who wish to try to lose some fat.

Indeed, cross training is a great way to modify the concept of exercising and losing fat without having to endure monotonous activities. In fact, the idea of exercising is to like what you are doing, hence, if you engage into cross training, you will be aware of it that you have already achieve your desired weight.

Boiled down, cross training is, certainly, one way of having fun.

>>Discover The 70 Day Transformation

daily exercises

With your hectic daily routine – getting ready for work, getting the kids ready for school, making sure your socks aren’t floating in the dog’s water bowl, a busy day at work, coming home and fixing dinner, cleaning up the house and getting everyone, including yourself, to sleep – exercise is usually the last thing on your mind!

Stress levels and obesity are at an all time high and health concerns are making themselves a priority in many people’s lives.

However, exercise is the one thing that can energize you to handle such a busy lifestyle with flying colors! Exercising reduces stress, helps you sleep better, and keeps health concerns at bay, while also boosting your self-confidence.

No More Excuses Allowed

It’s a good thing the human body is made the way it is, because there are many exercises you can do anywhere, at any time. All you need are a couple of makeshift weights you can find around the house and the physical weight of your body.

When exercising, remember to get a good warm-up and finish off with a slow cool-down. This is important to prevent injury and is easy to accomplish no matter where you are. Walking works well for both your warm-up and cool-down routine.

Here are 5 simple exercises you can do anywhere:

1. Tricep Dips. Sit on the edge of a chair or bench with your hands next to your thighs. Lift your body out just in front of the chair, with your feet flat on the floor and your knees bent. Lower yourself down so your elbows bend no more than 90 degrees and push yourself back up.

* Start off with a few small sets and build up from there.
* Straightening your legs increases the workout.
* Avoid this exercise if you have wrist or shoulder problems.

2. Pushups. Everyone knows the standard pushup position, so let’s try some things to change it up a bit.

* You can do pushups with your hands wider than shoulder width to get more of a shoulder and chest workout.
* If you bring your hands together into a diamond shape near the center of your chest you will work more of the triceps and shoulders.
* Working half pushups – either going only half way down and then back up, or starting from the floor and only pushing up half way and then going back down – will intensify your pushup workout.

3. Crunches. Crunches are great for your abs if you do them correctly. Done incorrectly, they can put undue stress on your neck and back. To avoid injury, be sure to use the correct techniques.

* The biggest risk is if you jerk your neck to give you the force to crunch. While doing crunches, keep your hands behind your head and your elbows back while using your stomach muscles to lift your head and chin towards the ceiling.
* Once you’ve mastered this technique, try lifting your legs off the ground or assuming a bicycle position with one leg bent and the other straight off of the ground.

4. Squats. Body weight squats are a great exercise you can do anywhere and a fantastic way to learn proper technique. Start off your squat workouts by lowering yourself only a foot or so. Then work up to deeper squats as your muscles become accustomed to the exercise.

* If you’re feeling a bit advanced and in need of a more intense workout, grab two 2-liter bottles filled with sand and try performing squats while holding one in each hand.

5. Calf Raises. Calf raises can be done wherever there is a raised surface, such as a stairway. If you need balance, hold onto the railing. Facing the stairs, stand with only your toes on the stair and your feet extending out past it. Standing straight up, lower your body down below the level of the stair and then back up onto your toes.

* Even though it seems as if this is an ankle exercise, it also works out your calf muscles.

* The biggest emphasis on this exercise is the ability to go from an extreme negative position with ankle below toes to an extreme positive position, ankle fully raised.

With these five exercises, you have a full body workout. Remember to pay attention to your body and take it easy at first. Soreness is a good thing, but pain means you need to stop. Try these exercises out today and feel the healthy difference of fitness on the run.

foods to lower cholesterol

In order for you to lower your cholesterol level, you need to make changes to your diet and to your lifestyle.  Having high cholesterol can put you at risk for developing serious health problems like heart disease so once you realize that you have a problem with your cholesterol, you should take steps to reduce it. 

The first step is to cut back but not eliminate the amount of cholesterol that you eat in your diet.  You should also cut back on the total fat, especially saturated and trans fats, that you eat.  Saturated fats, like those found in meat, full-fat dairy products and some oils, will raise your total cholesterol.  Trans fats, which are sometimes found in margarines and store-bought cookies, crackers and cakes, are especially bad for your cholesterol levels.  Trans fats will raise your low-density lipoprotein (LDL), the “bad” cholesterol, and lower high-density lipoprotein (HDL), the “good” cholesterol. 

Foods like butter, ice cream, and fatty meats will raise your cholesterol but, there are some foods that will actually improve your cholesterol.  Some foods like fatty fish, walnuts, oatmeal and oat bran can help to control your cholesterol level.  Some studies have shown that a diet that contains these types of foods works as well as some cholesterol-lowering medications to reduce LDL cholesterol levels.  Being able to avoid taking cholesterol-lowering medications has several benefits.  One benefit is that it is financially cheaper to eat these foods then it is to pay for the medications.  Another benefit is that some individuals have a hard time handling the side effects from these types of medications.  But, eating these certain foods is not a cure-all for having high cholesterol.  Individuals also need to practice moderation when it comes to eating plus they will need to eat a variety of foods.  There are also some lifestyle changes that you can make to decrease your cholesterol level.  

Regular exercise or at least being physically active for 30 minutes on most days is a simple way that you can change your lifestyle in order to lower your LDL cholesterol and raise your HDL cholesterol.  Plus getting enough physical activity can help you to loose weigh.  Excess weight tends to increase your LDL (“bad”) cholesterol level.  If you are overweight and have a high LDL-cholesterol level, losing weight can help you to lower it.  Weight loss also helps to lower triglycerides and raise HDL (“good”) cholesterol levels.  Plus, being overweight increases your chances for other health problems like diabetes.  Poorly controlled diabetes can increases your cholesterol levels as well.  Surprisingly, controlling your stress is a way to take control of your cholesterol level.  Stress over the long time period has been shown in several studies to raise blood cholesterol levels.  One way that stress may do this is because stress controls your habits.  For example, when some individuals are under a lot of stress, they console themselves by eating fatty foods.  The saturated fat and cholesterol in these types of fatty foods can be responsible for higher levels of blood cholesterol.

Get Rid Of Belly Fat

Want to learn the fat burning secret of body builders and
fitness models?

Go straight to:

http://www.fitnessandhealthblog.com/burnfatfeedmuscle

After the age of 40, flab becomes an increasingly
important focus of our diet and exercise programs. The
average person over 40 loses about half a pound of muscle
tissue each year, replacing it with a quarter pound of
fat, flabby flesh.

During menopause, women lose about one pound of muscle
per year, a pound that converts directly into fatty
tissue. By age 55 (the new middle age), our bodies require
about 600 calories less to maintain themselves than they
did at age 40.

What all this says is that our bodies require far less
nutrition as we age.

The answer to this problem is to keep our muscle tissue
at a high level, even increasing it after age 40. Our
exercise programs should still include a lot of strength
training, but aerobics, or cardiovascular exercise becomes
increasingly important.

As we age our proclivity to Type II diabetes increases
dramatically.

In a recent National Institute of Health clinical
trial, it was learned that even a modest amount of aerobic
exercises goes a long way towards thwarting the onset of
diabetes and heart disease

Cardio will also relieve arthritis symptoms, chronic
fatigue and high blood pressure. Walking (not ambling)
just twenty minutes per day can reduce the risk of
hypertension by as much as thirty percent.

A Canadian study showed that 90 minutes of aerobics
three times per week increased bone density and reduced
back pain. The control group also evidenced a heightened
feeling of well-being.

An additional benefit of exercises is longer and deeper
sleep. Deeper sleep leads to greater production of
melatonin and human growth hormone, the most studied
anti-aging hormones made by the human body.

HGH has been shown to reverse the signs of aging,
improving heart and lung function. Melatonin improves the
immune system response and acts as a powerful antioxidant.

What all of this means to us is that as we age, we must
not slacken off on our training and nutritional programs.

We must continue to train for strength and
cardiovascular health, while eating a properly balanced
diet of protein and good (natural) complex carbohydrates.
Our caloric intake should be reduced as we age.

One medical group specializing in anti-aging, promotes
the used of HGH and anabolic steroids to halt and reverse
the signs of aging in older people.

This group, who now franchise their program, use as a
“poster boy” a sixty-nine year old man who displays the
body of a 35 year old bodybuilder below his smooth skinned
face.

Though I don’t advocate artificial chemical
supplementation, there is a need for natural
tissue-building materials in our nutritional program.

Protein supplements, natural muscle growth promoters
and metabolic activators should be considered to stave off
aging and flabby tissue.

The best way to avoid flabby bodies is to prevent the
flab from forming in the first place.

If it begins to slip in, unnoticed at first, we need to
modify our physical training to incorporate more
fat-burning exercises. As our nutritional needs begin to
change, we should alter our diets to meet the diminishing
need for calories.

Keep in mind that over-reduction of our caloric intake
may be counterproductive.

Cutting calories below our actual body needs increases
the production of cortisol, the stress hormone that is
directly linked to increased belly fat, studies show.

If you find that flab is forming despite your exercise
regimen, you might want to consult with a nutritionist
about a fat-burning program. Avoid a greatly reduced
calorie diet in your efforts to lose the flab.

http://www.fitnessandhealthblog.com/burnfatfeedmuscle

jazz up your workout

It’s easy to experience boredom when working out in the gym. Just the sight of the same machines, mirrors and muscle-pros can send you into monotony-land and leave you feeling uninspired and uninterested in working out. But take heart – your fitness regimen doesn’t have to be like this!

By implementing a few changes to your routine, you can start to enjoy every moment of your time in the gym.

Try these tips for turning your lackluster gym workout into a rewarding experience:

1. Let music invigorate you. Put together a compilation of your favorite tracks and take your MP3 player with you every time you go to the gym. Lose yourself in your music and you’ll be done with your workout before you know it!

* You’ll be surprised how quickly your 20-minute treadmill warm-up will pass if you listen to four of your all-time favorite songs back to back!

* The rhythm of some songs automatically gives an adrenaline rush and pushes you to keep going.

2. Alternate routines and workouts. You’ve probably found that after doing the same routines repetitively for a few weeks, you get pretty tired of them. Working out is just like anything else – it needs variety to be spicy and interesting!

* For example, do a step aerobics class one week and then replace it with a spinning class the following week.

* Memorize your routine and try to do it in the reverse the following week.

* Perform your workouts in front of the mirrors one week and take a break the next. You’ll automatically feel challenged to do the exercises properly when you can’t see your reflection in the mirror.

3. Find a workout partner. Company goes a long way in relieving the monotony of a gym workout. Visiting with a friend can distract you enough to keep you going without paying too much attention to the workout.

4. Set goals and reward yourself. One strategy that can help you to look at your gym workout as beneficial and interesting is setting workout goals that come with rewards. Give yourself achievable workout targets and reward yourself once you’ve hit them.

* For example, if you have a goal to increase your repetitions by 5, plan a reward to give you an incentive to reach this goal. Treat yourself to a new book, movie, or other inexpensive gift when you achieve the goal.

* If you’d like to save up for something more expensive, add to your savings to reward yourself each time you meet a new goal. Set small goals you can easily achieve and add a dollar to the pot for each achievement. It’s exhilarating to see both your savings and your fitness level growing consistently just by meeting these small goals!

* Earn a sweet (low-calorie) treat for working out all muscle groups.

There’s nothing better than a little inspiration to get you involved your gym workout! The minute you start to put more creativity into making it a worthwhile experience, you’ll start to enjoy it. Experiment and discover your own unique ways to make your workout more interesting and motivating. Even the experiments themselves will bring more fun to your workouts.

So don’t give up on the gym – it promises to help you achieve all your fitness goals as long as you stick to it. And with these techniques, you’re bound to enjoy your workouts as well!

best workout routine

Are you looking for the best workout routine? What if you could concentrate your efforts so much that you could build the body you want in just 3 short workouts a week?  Would that be the best workout routine?

In our expert article, Craig Ballantyne explains how to do this using Turbulence Training.

Build A Lean, Athletic Physique In Just 3 Short Workouts A Week

By: Craig Ballantyne, CSCS, MS
www.TurbulenceTraining.com

I went to the gym for one of my 45-minute workouts and quickly found myself
surrounded by a bunch of weight belt wearing, orange juice carrying
bodybuilders.

Not that there’s anything wrong with them….

… In fact, I got along with these guys perfectly alright.  The point is that
our workouts couldn’t have been much more different.

You see, while the bodybuilders typically spent most of their 90-minute
workouts sitting around in between sets, or drinking their big ol’ jugs of OJ,
or even just chatting with one another, I spent my much shorter workout getting
to work right away, and then making sure I didn’t slow down until I’d
finished.

And the reason for this was simple…

… I just didn’t have a lot of free time to workout.

But just because I didn’t have 90 minutes a day to workout, didn’t mean I
simply accepted mediocre results.

That’s because in half the time those bodybuilders were working out, I turned
up the intensity and followed one of my favorite workouts from the Turbulence
Training for Fat Loss Manual, TT 2K4.

With this 3 day-a-week workout in my arsenal, I was able to spend just 45
minutes in the gym. But that’s not even the best part!

That’s because TT 2K4 is designed in such a way that it burns fat long after
you’ve left the gym.  So all you need to do is workout hard for just 45 minutes
and you’ll then reap the benefits for up to 48 hours later.

Ain’t that great?

I realize many of you are just as busy as me and so we can’t afford to
workout 90 minutes a day, 6 days a week. That’s why I designed Turbulence
Training and the 2K4 workout program.

With a series of challenging bodyweight and dumbbell supersets, not to
mention one muscle-pumping superset that even bodybuilders would love, TT 2K4 is
the perfect program to get you maximum results in minimum
time.

About the Author

Craig Ballantyne is a Certified
Strength & Conditioning Specialist and writes for Men’s Health, Men’s
Fitness, Maximum Fitness, Muscle and Fitness Hers, and Oxygen magazines. His
trademarked Turbulence Training fat loss workouts have been featured multiple
times in Men’s Fitness and Maximum Fitness magazines, and have helped thousands
of men and women around the world lose fat, gain muscle, and get lean in less
than 45 minutes three times per week. For more information on the Turbulence
Training workouts that will help you burn fat without long, slow cardio sessions
or fancy equipment, visit www.TurbulenceTraining.com

Tubulence Training is the best workout routine, it allows you to achieve your fitness goals simply an easily.

Everyone can benefit from daily exercise. Any new habit may have challenging beginnings, but in time, nearly anything can become habitual. In this case, we’re talking about a habit that has incredible benefits, so let’s see what you can do to get exercising every day!

1. Schedule it. The number one reason people claim they don’t exercise regularly is a lack of time. You make time for a variety of other things every day: eating meals, taking a shower, driving to and from work, television, and more. So make an appointment with yourself to get the exercise your body needs to be as healthy as it can possibly be.

2. Find a workout buddy. The number two reason people don’t exercise is boredom or loneliness. Get out there with a good friend or your significant other. It’s a good time to spend with others and can definitely make things a lot more enjoyable.

* A workout partner will also make you feel a greater sense of responsibility; no one likes to let other people down. It’s a little easier to think, “I’ll do it tomorrow,” when we know there isn’t someone depending on us.

3. Change it up. Come up with a variety of activities. There’s no reason you can’t swim one day, walk the next, and play some basketball the day after that. So think about everything the world has to offer and keep yourself entertained as well. Joining a sports league could take care of a lot of your exercise needs.

4. Take it easy. Perhaps you remember high school and the 5-minute mile you used to run on the track team too well. If you haven’t been active lately, a little reality will serve you better. As long as you’re getting comfortably tired by the end of your workout, you’re on the right track.

* You don’t need to finish your workout on the ground in a breathless heap. High-intensity exercise is great for conditioning, but isn’t any better for your health than less intense options.

5. Make it easy to exercise. Driving halfway across town in rush hour traffic is enough for anyone to find an excuse to skip a day. The truth is that a health club really isn’t necessary. A simple set of weights, a jump rope, or some running shoes are probably all you really need. You may have a basketball court in your driveway and a tennis court down at the park.

* People in the military get into great shape with little more than calisthenics and running. Make it easy enough to exercise that you don’t have a good excuse not to head out the door.

6. Track your progress. It’s a lot easier to stay interested and motivated when you can see some real progress. Fortunately, progress comes quickly at the beginning of any exercise program. So devise a test of your fitness that you can do occasionally. It can be simple, like how many pushups you can do, or how long it takes you to walk a mile.

Exercising daily is a great addition to include your life. It can be challenging to get into the habit, but relatively easy to stick with it after the initial period has passed. Get out there with a friend and have some fun every day! You’ll be healthier, feel better, and look better. Good luck!

horizontreadmill

A daily routine on the Horizon T101 Treadmill is a great way to get your workout.

Sugar

Americans consume between 100-125 pounds of sugar each year. That’s roughly a quarter of a pound every day. It’s no wonder that diseases such as obesity and diabetes run rampant.

Cutting back on sweets can help protect you from these serious health conditions and may help you lose weight. Even if you have a sweet tooth, these tips will make it easy to eat healthier.

Understand the Reasons for Cutting Back on Sugar

1. Learn the new guidelines. The American Heart Association (AHA) recently released guidelines for healthy sugar intake. While the average American is now eating about 22 teaspoons of sugar a day, AHA suggests cutting back to 5 for women, 9 for men, and 3 for kids.

2. Avoid empty calories. The population started getting heavier at the same time we began eating increased amounts of refined sugar and high-fructose corn syrup. It’s hard to maintain a healthy weight if soft drinks and donuts are crowding out the broccoli and whole grains.

3. Know the research concerning other health risks. Experts agree that sugar causes tooth decay and contributes to weight problems. These weight problems lead to diseases like diabetes, osteoporosis, heart disease and cancer.

Easy Ways to Reduce Your Sugar Consumption:

1. Avoid soda. Soft drinks are the worst offenders by far. A typical 12-ounce soda contains at least 8 teaspoons of added sugar, which alone is more than the daily recommendation for women and kids. Drink more water.

2. Limit processed foods. Candy, cakes and cookies account for a significant amount of our sugar intake, but so do some foods you might not suspect. Sugar is added to everything from whole wheat bread to peanut butter.

3. Read labels. If the first ingredients listed are added sweeteners like sugar or high-fructose corn syrup, you may want to find something more nutritious to eat. Check the total grams of sugar, but keep in mind that will include both added sugars and the less worrisome naturally occurring sugars.

4. Make healthy substitutions. You can eat delicious meals if you make smart substitutions. Switch to a breakfast cereal that’s unsweetened or lightly sweetened. Add a little vanilla extract to plain yogurt and skip the fake raspberry flavors.

5. Prepare more foods from scratch. Using fresh ingredients gives you more control over hidden sugars. Make your own salad dressing with olive oil, vinegar and garlic. It will also taste better and cost less than the sweetened supermarket brands.

6. Proceed gradually. It’s easy to get conditioned to sugar. Wean yourself in baby steps. Put half as much sugar in your coffee or switch to a natural product like stevia that has no calories.

7. Prioritize. If you’re a woman, figure out how you want to use your recommended 5 teaspoons of sugar a day. The sugar you eliminate from your peanut butter may help enable you to eat a small bowl of ice cream or a couple of cookies after dinner.

8. Reduce portion sizes. Moderation is the key. You can still enjoy your favorite desserts as long as you savor a sliver of cake or a few squares of a deluxe chocolate bar.

9. Address emotional eating. You might sometimes reach for sweets when you’re feeling stressed because they help you feel better by boosting your serotonin levels. If emotional eating is an issue for you, seek more constructive ways to relax, like meditating or listening to music.

10. Exercise more. On the other side of the equation, you can afford to eat more if you burn more calories. Aim for 30 minutes of moderate aerobic exercise on most days.

Replace the empty calories from sugar with healthier treats and a more nutritious diet. You may be pleasantly surprised at how easy it becomes to reduce the amount of sugar in your diet.

Girl Engaged In Yoga

If so, try following these simple strategies to trim and tone. They may make the difference between having a self-conscious summer and enjoying fun in the sun.

Trim Your Body

Trimming your body likely involves losing a few pounds. Thankfully, all it requires is a little bit of discipline and patience to acquire these weight-reducing habits.

Remember to talk about your wish to lose weight with your doctor. He’ll most likely have some great tips for you and might even provide you with a printed nutritional program to follow.

1. Decrease incoming calories from your drinks. Reduce or cut out sugared beverages like juices, teas, and sodas.

* If you like sweet drinks, try sweetening them with Stevia. Stevia is one of the newer non-caloric sweeteners available on the market. Made from the leaf of a plant, Stevia is all-natural and doesn’t carry the health risks of many other artificial sweeteners.

* The healthiest choices for beverages are water or herbal tea.

2. Avoid high-calorie desserts. As summer approaches, avoid fat-laced desserts and replace them with lower fat and reduced calorie treats, such as fat-free Jell-O and puddings. Strive to eat three fruits a day, one after each meal for dessert.

Tone Your Body

Toning your body involves increasing muscle strength and definition. When you increase muscle definition, you look stronger and in great shape.

These simple strategies will help you tone up for summer:

1. Do floor exercises while watching television. Use a rubber mat or thick layers of blankets to provide a protective, comfortable cushion. Start out by doing 10 each of these exercises:

* Perform the calisthenics you used to do in gym class when you were in high school. Maybe you did jumping jacks or bent to touch your toes. Go slowly with these; quick movements can injure and also don’t yield the benefits of taking your time with exercise.

* Do abdominal crunches.

* While sitting on the floor, stretch your legs out from your body at 45-degree angles. Then, bend forward at the waist and do alternating toe touches-right hand to left toes and left hand to right toes. Like with calisthenics, slow and steady wins the race.

* Also while sitting, make circles in the air with your out-stretched foot and toes.

* Lie on your right side and do side leg raises. Then, do the same on your left side.

2. Another sure way to get toned is to jog. Experts advise getting good quality running shoes to support and protect your feet, ankles and legs. Jogging tones your legs, arms, and abdomen. Plus, you’ll feel stronger and experience an increase in your overall physical stamina.

* Begin your jogging program by walking.

* Then, increase walking speed in the second week of your program.

* During the third week, pick up your walking speed even more.

* The fifth week, try jogging periodically throughout your walk.

* Alternate walking and jogging until the end of your workout.

* Gradually increase the distance or amount of time you jog.

* Before you know it, you’ll be jogging short distances.

Of course, before beginning any form of exercise, check with your doctor for approval. And always do warm-up and cool-down stretches before and after your workouts.

If you try even a few of the suggestions above, you’ll come out ahead for summer. Before you know it, you’ll feel more comfortable in a swimsuit and ready for the beach!Fit