By Heather Diodati

1. Before you start any new fitness program, especially if you haven’t worked out for awhile or never worked out at all, be sure to see your doctor for a complete physical exam. Make sure he/she knows about your fitness plans. He’s the only one who can give you the green light to go ahead with your program.

 

2. Calculating your body fat: Use this handy Body Mass Index Chart to find out if you’re carrying around too much fat in relation to your body weight. The fat is measured using the BMI or Body Mass Index.

 

3. Make sure you drink plenty of fluids during and after exercise to replenish fluids lost during your workout. Water is especially beneficial to lubricate and hydrate your body and to keep your skin and hair looking youthful. Eight 8-ounce glasses a day is the minimum.

 

4. Working out can dehydrate you sometimes without you realizing it. Drink two 8-ounce glasses of water for every half hour of exercise as well as before and after your workout.

 

5. Exercising in the summer heat can dehydrate your body at a faster rate. Work out in an air-conditioned room when extremely hot outside or wait until later in the day or early morning. If you are out during midday and notice any symptoms such as headaches, nausea, dizziness, chills, heart palpitations and light headedness, get out of the sun immediately and drink lots of water whether or not you feel thirsty.

 

6. Check your pulse while working out to ensure you are in a healthy aerobic range for your age. Here’s a handy chart for you to use.

 

7. Add a total of two tablespoons of ground flax seed daily to your food. Flax contains a fatty acid called alpha-linolenic cid and is beneficial in controlling blood pressure, maintaining a healthy cardiovascular system helping with digestion and much more. Read more about flax seed for your health.

 

8. Sore muscles after working out? An analgesic such as aspirin can help reduce pain while ibuprofen helps to control pain as well as acting as an anti-inflammatory.

 

9. Whole grains are better for your health than any products made with white flour and rice. The high fiber in whole grains helps reduce the risk of cardiovascular events, diabetes, colon cancer and more; generally contributing to your overall well-being, while white flour and rice has little to offer in the way of nutrients.

 

10. Dancing is excellent for the body as well as for the mind and spirit. Any kind of music and dancing, as long as you enjoy it and move to it, will benefit your body whether dancing fast and long enough to be a cardiovascular exercise or slower and for shorter periods to help stretch your body. It’s all beneficial, and for all ages!

 

Learning ballroom dance routines, for example, works your mind and helps prevent dementia.

 

For more information on ballroom dancing and health, please see the interesting articles at www.ballroom-dance-resource.com

 

11. Think success: picture yourself in a few months of working out. Keeping this picture of the “new you” in your mind will help to get you through difficult, new routines as well as for the times you really need to push yourself to exercise.

 

12. Set several small goals. They’ll be easier to meet than one large goal. Be sure to reward yourself for the successful accomplishment of each goal.

 

13. Make sure to use an exercise log to record your cardio time, type and intensity; your weights, type of exercise, reps and sets as well as room for notes on how you feel before, during and after each workout. Nutridiary has an excellent Free food and exercise log.

 

14. Always warm up and stretch each muscle group before starting your workout routine to help prevent injuries. Make sure to cool down properly to ward off muscle soreness.

 

15. Change your workout habits every once in awhile to prevent boredom and to continue benefiting from your workouts.

 

16. Be in tune with your body. If you experience sudden pain during a workout or afterwards be sure to seek medical help as early as possible.

 

17. Go for high intensity sprints in your power walking or jogging and similar short burst of energy in your other cardio activities. This varies your workout to benefit your development.

 

18. Ask a professional when using a new machine or using free weights to perform a new exercise. Knowing and using the proper form will help prevent injuries.

 

19. Short of time? Try to fit in ten minutes of exercise two or three times during that day. Studies have shown that this is just as beneficial as one 20 or 30-minute workout.

 

20. Be sure to wear the proper footwear for your workouts to avoid possible foot and ankle injuries.

 

21. Take full body before photos; one front, one side and one from the back. Wear form-fitting clothing. Then take the same photos wearing the same clothing a few months later. Keep a small scrapbook to motivate you when you feel like quitting.

 

Want more of Heather Diodati’s articles and how-to’s? Visit http://www.whimsies-online.com/freecontent.htm. By the way, you are free to use these articles on your websites and ezines provided you include the author’s bylines. A courtesy copy or an email mentioning where the article was published would be much appreciated!

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Miss Domestic on February 28th, 2007 | File Under Fitness Tips | -