Fitness and exercise are an important part of leading a healthy life. People who exercise regularly have healthier hearts, and are less prone to problems related to obesity as well as depression and other mental illnesses. Read on to find out how you can set up your own fitness program and start to feel great!
A great tip to help you stay fit is to go for hikes. Not only will you be burning a lot of calories, you’ll be able to enjoy nature. Some hiking books list all of the hikes in a certain area and they can be a great resource.
A great way to get fit is to start eating more vegetables. Vegetables are packed with essential vitamins and nutrients and if you aren’t eating enough, you aren’t doing your body any favors. An easy way to make sure you’re eating enough vegetables is to just toss a handful of them into a salad.
Do not limit yourself to crunches to develop your abs. Although you may crank out 250,000 crunches, studies show that a mere 1 pound of fat is consumed. Crunches should be only a small part of your abs routine. You must exercise your abs in alternate ways too.
A really good way to help you get fit is to put up pictures of your ideal body around your house. By constantly being aware of the body you want to have, you’ll be more likely to stick with your fitness goals. You can get creative with where you place these pictures.
It is important to walk properly if you want to reduce your risk of injury. Try to walk upright and with your shoulders drawn back. Form an L-shape with your arms, and maintain that angle while you walk. ideally the arms should be the direct opposite of your foot. Walking heel to toe is natural and also helps to stretch your calves.
In order to build better abs, don’t work your abdominal muscles too often. Your ab muscles are just like the other muscles in your body and require rest. Don’t work your abdominal muscles two days in a row, only work them two or three days a week, with at least one day of rest in-between.
Just because you may have hurt one arm doesn’t mean you need to stop exercising your other arm. Research shows that people who worked out only one arm for two weeks were able to make their hurt arm stronger by up to ten percent. When you work one arm, you are actually sending a message to the muscle nerve fibers of the opposite arm.
A modification to traditional running that can increase fitness is high knee running. It simply involves raising your knees above your waist while running. By doing high knee running, you increase strength in your core muscles by essentially doing a standing crunch while running. It’s also an extra workout for your thighs.
As you can see, staying fit isn’t as intimidating as it seems. Fitness is very important, and now you can join the millions of people who exercise and reap the health and mental benefits. Follow these simple fitness tips and you’ll be well on your way to looking, feeling, and being great!

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