16 tips for looking and feeling better than you have in years

By Holly Leonard, CFT Weight Loss and Fitness Expert BeFit Personal Training Studio Editor's Note: This month we introduce a new columnist to PRIME. Holly Leonard will be writing on various fitness issues. Her first column, "16 tips for looking and feeling better than you hve in years" will run in two parts _ eight tips this month, eight in August! Do you want to improve the quality of your life? Do you want to look and feel better than you have in years maybe better than you ever have before? Do you want to protect yourself from disease and injury? And do you want to live a longer, more vital life? I'm confident that you answered YES to each of those questions, just as have the hundreds of individuals I've counseled, coached, and trained in my career as a Certified Personal Fitness Trainer. Holly's tips for looking, feeling better Right now I'm going to reveal to you the 16 simple and effective strategies _ eight this month, eight in my column in August that will allow you to achieve these important goals. 1. In the beginning, your fitness plan should not be overly aggressive. One of the biggest problems most people encounter when starting a fitness program is rapidly depleted motivation after only a few weeks due to an overly ambitious start. Two days per week of 20-minute low-intensity cardiovascular exercise (walking, jogging, biking, swimming); and two days per week of 30-minute light resistance training (using weights or resistance bands) is adequate in the beginning. As you become acclimated to the lifestyle "shift" you can add more days to further enhance your results. But beware: if you try to do too much too fast, you may end up injured or quitting altogether. 2. If your goal is fat-loss, then your cardiovascular exercise should be performed at low intensity. Your heart rate during cardio exercise should not exceed 50 percent to 70 percent of your maximum heart rate. The simple formula for calculating your 100 percent maximum heart rate is 220 minus your age. If the intensity of your exercise increases your heart rate beyond 70 percent (which can occur very easily if you are deconditioned or new to exercise), you start shifting from using body fat as your primary energy source to relying on glucose metabolism. 3. Don't waste your time working small muscles with isolated movements. If you are short on time and are seeking maximum results in minimum time, concentrate on working the largest muscle groups with compound resistance movements. When I see overweight people doing wrist curls or lateral raises, I wonder why. It's generally just a lack of understanding of how their bodies work. Most people want to lose fat and tone and firm their bodies. The way to do that is to use resistance (weights or bands) to train the large muscle groups. The main muscle groups to focus on are: legs, chest and back. The best exercises for legs are squats, lunges, (seek the help of a qualified fitness expert if you are new to these exercises) and hamstring curls. The best chest exercise is bench press, and the best back exercises are the bent over row and chin up/pull up. All of these are compound movements, which mean they incorporate multiple muscle groups and burn the most calories. 4. Always, always, always stretch. Stretching improves flexibility, blood flow, muscle recovery, low back pain and a host of other things. Additionally, stretching can prevent injury, make you sleep better and improve your performance in all areas of your life. Always stretch, but be certain not to stretch cold muscles. You should always warm up before stretching. However, it is very important that you know how to stretch. Never bounce! For best results, hold each stretch for 10-30 seconds. 5. Never, ever do a traditional sit-up. Unless you have an incredibly well-developed midsection, sit-ups can lead to a strained lower back and possibly lumbar injuries. But it gets worse. Rather than hitting your abdominal section, sit-ups can shift exercise tension to your hip flexors which defeats the purpose. There is so much misinformation about how to strengthen tone and firm the midsection, it's almost frightening. It is very difficult to learn proper abdominal exercise technique by reading about it or watching it demonstrated on a video. You need to do it with supervision and get feedback about your form from a knowledgeable source. And keep in mind that you use your abdominal muscles in almost every single movement you make. Strengthening your abdominal region is the single most effective way to prevent, or recover from, low back pain. 6. Set realistically attainable goals. You must have tangible, quantifiable, short-term and long-term goals for your fitness program so you can gauge your progress. It's crucial to have a "baseline" before you begin, so you can measure success. A complete fitness analysis will aid you or your trainer in developing a personalized fitness program which addresses your particular needs. Having goals, particularly short-term goals, allow you to track your progress and keep you motivated when times are tough and you don't feel like exercising. Keeping a journal of your cardio and resistance training workouts, as well as tracking what you eat is truly a fitness success "secret." Just remember that your goals should be realistic and attainable. The best way for you to understand what is realistic and attainable for you is to talk to a fitness professional not to buy into the "hype" of infomercials, diet and fitness products that blatantly mislead. 7. Set exercise appointments with yourself. Use your day-timer to set appointments for exercise and then stick to them. You wouldn't miss a business meeting or client appointment, would you? So don't miss your exercise appointment with yourself. Nothing is more important than your health. Nothing. Everything else will crumble around you if your health goes south. So make your exercise appointments a priority. If you find it difficult to keep these appointments, then consider having a friend hold you accountable to your commitment. When someone waiting for you to show up you are much more likely to actually show up! 8. Remember the benefits of exercise. >/i> Remember that feeling of euphoria you experienced after a particularly good work-out? You experienced that feeling because the most powerful "feel good" drugs in the world endorphins are coursing through your veins. If there is a panacea, it's exercise. Nothing feels better than the post-work-out high you experience after exercising. Revel in that feeling. Let it wash over you and truly experience it. Etch that feeling in your brain. It will fuel your motivation on those inevitable days when you just don't feel like exercising. Being physically fit affects every single aspect of your life: you sleep better, eat better, love better, overcome stress better, work better, communicate better, and live better! Next month Holly details her second eight tips to looking and feeling better thatn you have in years! If you would like to obtain more health and fitness advice from a certified expert, you can request a free subscription to Holly's newsletter via email by visiting my web site at: www.befitonline.net; or you can receive it via regular mail by calling her fitness studio at: 774-218-3819.