Whether you want to look good on the beach this summer or lose the pounds the thanksgiving turkey puts on, a gym membership could be just the ticket.

The facilities

The beauty of a gym is that everything you need is there. You can run, cycle, row, cross country ski, swim or take an exercise class. If you want to tone or build your body there are weight machines and free weights.

When the workout is done, relax in the spa and jacuzzi. Then have a massage and beauty treatment or a luxury body shower. Both men and women can be pampered to their hearts content and it’s all under one roof. When joining a gym the range of facilities is the important factor but there are other things to consider.

Other than facilities? What else?

Think about the location. Is it closer to your home or workplace and when would you plan to visit? Would you normally go at the weekend from home or on the way home from work? Will the traffic be an issue at these times? Also check to see if there’s enough parking available especially at a “center of town” gym.

If it’s classes you’re after, see if there’s a good range. Make sure they have some scheduled for the times you’d normally go. See how popular they are, you’d want the class to have more people there than just you and the instructor. The best way to check all this out, is to get a complimentary pass. All gyms will let you have one day, but a little persuading should get you a whole week. This will enable you to get a sense of the general atmosphere and see how busy it gets.

Negotiate the cost

So you’ve found the gym you want to join, now comes the payment. Nearly all gyms will want you on a 12 month contract. Then there may be a joining fee and monthly payments on top of that. All payments and sometimes the contracts are negotiable. Swing this in your favour by applying towards the end of the month. Gym managers are often paid bonuses for good monthly figures so they’ll be more inclined to drop their prices to include you.

You may also be told there’s a promotion or some incentive that runs out at the end of the month. Take this with a pinch of salt, there’s usually a promotion every month and they’re all worth about the same so you wouldn’t be missing out.

Why use a gym?

Ok, running, cycling, rowing etc doesn’t have to be done in a gym, they’re certainly more enjoyable outside. But the weather may be bad and the only body shower you’ll get will be the rain falling on your head. Whereas in the gym the spa is only minutes away.

For total covenience these places just have to be sampled. So pop down to the local gym, get a weeks complimentary pass and give it a go, you won’t regret it.

Simon Gould - http://www.FitnessBegin.com - Exercise, Health, Dieting and Nutrition…Explained!

Exercising is a great way to keep yourself fit and healthy, but there is also a risk of injury. However, if you follow some basic guidelines, and stay within your physical limits, you can ensure that you’ll have an enjoyable and safe workout.

Warm ups:
Warm ups are essential…this cannot be stressed on enough. Starting an exercise routine without warm ups can be very damaging to your body.
It is always advisable to do some relatively gentle exercise to warm up your muscles, so that they’ll be less susceptible to damage that may occur during exercises. Also, they’ll ensure that they get more flexible and limber.

Just spend a few minutes getting warmed up. About 5 to 10 minutes should do. Stretch muscles and other soft tissues. This will prepare your body for the more rigorous exercise that is going to follow, and help you go for a longer period of time without feeling tired or fatigued.

The right get-up
Fitness wear is very important. Only if you are at ease and comfortable in what you’re wearing, can you perform to your optimum potential.
The right shoes are imperative. They must be suited to the type of exercise that you are doing. When buying a pair of fitness shoes, always consult with the staff at a sports equipment store, and ask for their advice. The wrong type of shoes can lead to sprains and even long-term injury.
Clothes, too, must be comfortable, loose-fitting, and, ideally, made out of a fabric that absorbs sweat, like cotton. Very tight fitting clothes can be uncomfortable, and extremely loose clothes can get in the way.
Don’t compromise when it comes to fitness wear.

Cool down
Don’t come to a sudden halt in between strenuous workouts. This causes the blood to pool in your leg veins, and can leave you feeling dizzy and faint. Give time for the lactic acid being produced by your muscles during vigorous activity to be cleared by finishing your session with a few minutes of gentle exercise.

Change and Alternate
It is a good idea if you combine strenuous activity with something that is comparatively less physically demanding. This lessens your chances of over-exerting yourself, and gives your body more time to recover from bouts of intense activity.

Stop when it starts hurting
If exercising starts to hurt, stop until the pain has completely gone away. Saying like ‘no pain, no gain’ should be ignored, since they make you push yourself beyond your physical limits…which isn’t a good thing, after all. If you experience physical discomfort and things like dizziness, faintness, nausea, shortness of breath etc, please visit your doctor right away.
Also, avoid exercising when you are unwell or sick.

Diana for www.health-care-information.org Offers information on various health topics such as diseases, injuries, and medical tests.

Lately, I’ve been receiving a lot of questions referring to the latest studies and research findings, and one question that I receive most queries about concerns the role that stretching plays as part of the warm up.

Currently, there seems to be a lot of confusion about how and when stretching should be used as part of the warm up, and some people are under the impression that stretching should be avoided altogether.

This is a very important issue and needs to be clarified immediately. The rest of this article is dedicated to dispelling some common myths and misconceptions about stretching and its’ role as part of the warm up.

What has Science got to say?

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 and the warm up.

Stretching and its effect on physical performance and injury prevention is something that just can’t be measured scientifically. Sure you can measure the effect of stretching on flexibility with simple tests like the “Sit and Reach” test, but then to determine how that affects athletic performance or injury susceptibility is near impossible.

One of the more recent studies on stretching supports this view by concluding;

“Due to the paucity, heterogeneity and poor quality of the available studies no definitive conclusions can be drawn as to the value of stretching for reducing the risk of exercise-related injury.” (The efficacy of stretching for prevention of exercise-related injury: a systematic review of the literature, 2003, Weldon)

To put the above quote in layman’s terms; there hasn’t been enough studies done and the studies that have been done are not specific or consistent enough. For the most comprehensive assessment and conclusion of research done on the affects of stretching I suggest you have a read through the following article, “The Truth about Stretching.” http://www.thestretchinghandbook.com/resources/articles/stretching-truth.htm

The Greatest Misconception

Confusion about what stretching accomplishes, as part of the warm up, is causing many to abandon stretching altogether. The key to understanding the role stretching plays can be found in the previous sentence. But, you have to read it carefully.

Stretching, as part of the warm up!

Here’s the key: Stretching is a critical part of the warm up, but stretching is NOT the warm up.

Don’t make the mistake of thinking that doing a few stretches constitutes a warm up. An effective warm up has a number of very important key elements, which work together to minimize the likelihood of sports injury and prepare the individual for physical activity.

Identifying the components of an effective and safe warm up, and executing them in the correct order is critical. Remember, stretching is only one part of an effective warm up and its’ place in the warm up routine is specific and dependant on the other components.

The four key elements that should be included to ensure an effective and complete warm up are:

1. The general warm up

This phase of the warm up consists of 5 to 15 minutes of light physical activity. The aim here is to elevate the heart rate and respiratory rate, increase blood flow and increase muscle temperature.

2. Static stretching

Next, 5 to 15 minutes of gentle static stretching should be used to gradually lengthen all the major muscle groups and associated tendons of the body.

3. The sports specific warm up

During this phase of the warm up, 10 to 15 minutes of sport specific drills and exercises should be used to prepare the athlete for the specific demands of their chosen sport.

4. Dynamic stretching

Dynamic stretching involves a controlled, soft bounce or swinging motion to force a particular body part past its usual range of movement. The force of the bounce or swing is gradually increased but should never become radical or uncontrolled.

Please note; dynamic stretching carries with it a high risk of injury if used incorrectly. Dynamic stretching is more for muscular conditioning than flexibility and is really only suited for professional, well trained, highly conditioned athletes. Dynamic stretching should only be used after a high level of general flexibility has been established.

All four parts are equally important and any one part should not be neglected or thought of as not necessary. All four elements work together to bring the body and mind to a physical peak, ensuring the athlete is prepared for the activity to come.

So what conclusions can we make?

Stretching is beneficial, when used correctly. However, as with most activities there are rules and guidelines to ensure that they are safe, and stretching is no exception. Stretching can be extremely dangerous and harmful if used incorrectly.

Remember, stretching is just one very important component that assists to reduce the risk of injury and improve athletic performance. The best results are achieved when stretching is used in combination with other injury reduction techniques and conditioning exercises.

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Article by Brad Walker. Brad is a prominent Australian sports trainer with more than 15 years experience in the health and fitness industry. Brad is a Health Science graduate of the University of New England and has postgraduate accreditations in athletics, swimming and triathlon coaching. He also works with elite level and world champion athletes and lectures for Sports Medicine Australia on injury prevention.

If you enjoyed this article, please feel free to forward it to others, make it available from your site or post it on forums for others to read. Just make sure that this paragraph and URL are included. For more information and articles on stretching, flexibility and sports injury, visit The Stretching & Sports Injury Newsletter at; 101 Stretching Exercises

Are your kids getting enough exercise? If you are like most parents, you are deeply concerned about the state of your kids’ fitness…or their total lack of fitness altogether.

Kids today just do not get enough exercise. The Lure of dozens of screens, with hundreds of functions in almost as many sizes is leading to record levels of obesity in kids as young as six years old and well into their teens.

To help you cope with the fitness vacuum, here are ten tips you can apply in your kid’s life before it is too late:

A) Kick them out. It is a proven fact that kids who are throwing balls, skipping rope, chasing each other and climbing on structures are more fit than kids who sit around the house. Just one detail…don’t kick their cell phones and their iPods and their other anti-fitness equipment out with them.

B) Try more physical playing with your children. Chase your kids around. Bonus, you get exercise too.

C) Make Christmas a celebration of fitness. No, don’t chase your kids up the tree…just give them some fitness toys instead of toys they would play sitting down.

D) Make fitness a family affair. You have probably already noticed how hard it is to find time to do things together as a family. This is your golden opportunity. The element of peer pressure (the whole family is going, so you can’t skip out) will help the kids keep on track. And let’s face the facts – it’s not easy to keep fit when you are a parent. So why not find a family fitness center near you?

Good fitness equipment for your children

E) Choose hydraulic fitness equipment for your children. You will normally find these only at fitness centers (another reason to make fitness a family affair) What makes hydraulics special, is that they don’t need to be adjusted for each child. The resistance depends on the force exerted. So your 6 year old, who pushes with less intensity, will face less resistance than your 12 year old, who will face more. This is far superior to weights, where you have to keep adjusting the amount of weight until you get it right.

F) Try circuit training. This is also best done at a fitness center, because circuit training involves a variety of machines, all set up in a circuit. Kids accustomed to computer games, are less likely to be bored by circuit training, because they are constantly on the move from one machine to the other.

G) Sign them up for an organized physical activity, one where they will develop a sense of accomplishment . That sense of accomplishment is the motivation that keeps them going. It does not need to be competitive, but it does need to provide them with goals to work for. For example, sign them up for a dance class where there is a show to practice for at the end of the year. Or a swimming class where they can achieve various levels right up to certified life guard.

H) Don’t just sign your kids up for a physical activity. Have them practice it at home…only, don’t call it practice. That sounds too much like homework. Ask them instead to show you how good they are. That sounds a lot more like showing off and getting quality attention. (The ask them to show Aunt Penelope and cousin Bart and the next door neighbor and…)

I) Unplug the TV. If you can’t limit their watching to an hour a day, limit the days on which you plug it in. Ditto for the computer and any other addictive screen-based electronic gadget.

J) Your kids won’t like me for this one, but give your kids more household chores…specifically those that involve physical activity like mowing, raking and vacuuming. Caveat: this means that you will have to find new forms of exercise (but I think we covered that in the chasing your kids around and taking them to a family fitness center.

K) Walk more in real life. Do you take the stairs or the escalators? Well, so do your kids. Take them on the healthy route. Do you park near to a store (where your car will get dinged by other car doors) and deprive your kids and yourself from your rightful walking? Or do you park far away from the store where your car is safe from dents and where your kids and you are safe from inertia.

Oops. That’s eleven. Oh well, you get a bonus tip.

So just what is a parent to do? Chase your kids right onto hydraulic fitness equipment at the nearest fitness center, give them more fitness-oriented equipment for Christmas (to replace the TV and gadgets they would otherwise play with) and put your children to work around the house.

You can learn more about kids fitness equipment, or about other Edge Fitness Equipment products. The writer is David Leonhardt , a professional freelance SEO writer.

In August of 2004 I accepted a coaching position with the Leukemia/Lymphoma Society’s team in training (T’NT). I was to teach a group of people from all walks of life how to train to run or walk a marathon (26.2 miles). The task was challenging and daunting. Some of these people had not even jogged around the block…….where do I start?

Besides the training, these people took on the challenge of raising close to $5,000.00 a piece for Leukemia/Lymphoma research.

As I look back over those 4 months I saw confident athletes emerge from the 37 members of the team. I had 5 athletes that trained for and finished the Seattle Marathon on November 28th. Nine of our team went to Hawaii to race in the Honolulu Marathon on December 12th and the remainder (22) of the team went to Arizona to participate in the P.F. Chang’s Rock ‘n Roll Marathon on January 9, 2005.

There were months of intense training that this incredible group of people endured. They racked up mile after mile weekly so they would be prepared when the big day arrived. They trained outside on the Coastal Trail through October and then switched inside to the track at the Tesoro Sports Center.

The training paid off and the times that were turned in for the Events were very respectable. There was one runner who was trying to qualify for the Boston Marathon by running the Honolulu Marathon in under 4 hours.

I have gotten several emails and lots of pictures from the Honolulu team recounting their experiences. The weather cooperated and nobody reported blisters. Everyone finished. That is the goal. Quitting is not an option. When a runner feels a bit defeated he only has to think about what the kids with Leukemia and other blood related cancers go through, then the marathon seems like a cakewalk.

I have been a Fitness Coach for almost 20 years and I can say that this experience was one that I will not soon forget! I feel blessed that I was presented with this opportunity to work with all these wonderful, caring and committed people.

I have been receiving emails on a daily basis from the team as they recount their experiences at the different events! Each account is different from the next yet they ran the same race. I think the one thing that they all have in common is that they found out that they can do a lot more than they ever thought possible!! What are your fitness dreams and goals?

Bonnie Murphy is a Certified Fitness Coach and specializes in “mature” women. She is a Master Fitness by Phone Coach so she can work with anyone from anywhere in the world!! Call her at 907.646.4076 Email: bonnie@bfitandwell.com
Website: http://www.bfitandwell.com Download her latest E-Book revealing how you can become “Dynamic, Empowered and Strong”, by signing up for her BFIT and Well Newsletter.

Moderate, low-impact exercise really can lend a hand in coping with arthritis. How? By strengthening muscles around your joints, which aids in lessening stress on joints. Exercise is recommended for everybody, but for those with arthritis, it is critical.

Arthritis is a debilitating condition defined as the inflammation of a joint. It may bring about burning pains which leave you feeling tired. As the body ages, arthritis begins to develop from the wide-ranging day-to-day operations of the body. Cartilage begins to wear out and thin out. Bad posture, obesity and traumatic injury may all hasten arthritis’s development. The rubbing of the bones causes irritation and inflammation. Rest is the first treatment option and sometimes relieves the pain, but a patient can on occasion suffer pain that seems endless.

In order to build up healthy joints certain exercises go a long way. Stretching every day is a great activity that can help with joints. Bicycling is another activity that is apt to be beneficial to most joints, and all age groups can carry it out. Stairs are all over the place and free to climb, you can strengthen your lower body joints and save money at the same time by foregoing elevators and escalators whenever possible. Swimming is an effective way to give all your joints a work out. Water cushions body movements and dampens pains, so water aerobics is one of the best exercises for those having joint pains.

Here are few other tips to keep your joints in good shape. Make sure you are within your ideal body weight range. Watch your posture. If you absolutely must lift or carry a heavy object, use your legs. Pay attention to what your body is telling you. Rest if you feel tired, and stop what you are doing if you are having pain. The idea is to eliminate as much undue stress on your joints as possible. And, needless to say, consult your doctor if your pain is bothering you or suddenly worsens.

This article brought to you by www.Medopedia.com, where you can find more information on arthritis treatment and treatments for high blood pressure.

Cycling is the sport which needs like any other sport time, sacrifice and dedication. Cycling nowadays is still considered a recreation or a professional sport. Millions of people find that cycling is a great way to move faster and without any fuel problem.

A bicycle has different components which are: the wheel, gears, brakes. The wheels is an important element which allows the rider to move with great speed and efficiency. The gears allow the cyclist to pedal at an efficient and comfortable way. The first widely used breaking system was known as the plunger. It first appeared on the high-wheelers of the 1800s.

Other known breaking systems are: coaster brake and caliper. The coaster brake is still used throughout the world and it works by reversing the motion on the pedals. The most popular brake for road and mountain bicycles is the caliper rim brake. The caliper brakes are lightweight and inexpensive.

An important place in cycling is wind resistance. The efficiency of the aerodynamic is (the force air pressure and direct friction) the element which permits the cyclist to travel much faster, with less effort. But the faster the cyclist goes, the more wind resistance he experiences, and the more energy he must exert to overcome it.

The bicycle has played a great role in changing the women’s fashion in the late 1800s. A very important element in the performance of a cyclist is the food he eats. It requires a proper balance of nutrients. An important place has the water. Losing as little as 2 percent of the body’s fluid can affect cycling performance and severe dehydration can cause heat exhaustion, stroke and sometimes death. Cyclists drink a few cups of water before riding and during exercise All the cyclist’s power are in the legs. Muscle attached to the thighbone and the shinbone do almost all the work.

Cycling opened up new horizons for people in the nineteenth century especially for women, and can be seen now also in the developing world. Finally, competitive cycling provided one of the earliest forms of mass spectator sport in modern times.

If you find this information useful you should visit the site http://first-cycling-online.info where you will find lots of interesting articles related to this topic, all original and wrote by Michael Lastun.

I receive many letters from women who stay at their homes looking after children. They want to look good, become fit and ask me how to achieve this. Some years ago I had a day job that took almost all of my time and use every free or not free minute to make exercises. There are several exercises that can be done while you are cooking, ironing or watching TV. I call this workout “Passive” because it involves only tightening up of some muscles.

The most problematic female spots are butt, hips and abs. How to tighten them up?
Imagine you are upright and ironing clothes. Start tightens up your butt, flex butt muscles, hold for 2-3 seconds and relax. Make 20 reps.

Hip exercise
Stay upright. Tighten up butt and legs, you must feel you lower body as a strong wall. Now lift left leg to the left side, return leg to the floor and lift right leg to the right side. Alternate legs and make 20 reps. You must feel tension in your left and right hips.

Abs exercise
In sitting position-for example while you are watching TV or sitting in front of the computer. Lift your knees up to the ceiling. You must feel tension in your lower ab muscles. If this exercise is difficult help yourself with hands – grab the chair and push down hands and lift the knees up. Hands will take away some difficulty.

Another abs exercise is again from sitting position. Straight one of the legs and lift the foot to the ceiling. Again help yourself with hands. If you want to make exercise more difficult – while lifting the foot bend the upper body to the legs. In this way you double influence your abs – their lower and upper parts.

Exercise for love handles from sitting position. Bend the body to the left side, hold for a second and bend to the right side. Try to do this without helping yourself with hands.

There are many possibilities to stay fit, to stay at your home and without going to expensive gyms. The only thing you need is your wish to change your life.

Rumiana Ilieva is the Webmaster at http://www.women-workout-routines.com and an avid amateur trainer. The site reviews weight loss workout routines and offers many free video workouts. To train on line visit http://www.women-workout-routines.com/free-workout-routines.html