Your Connection Between Weight Loss And Fitness

Your Connection Between Weight Loss And Fitness

If you've decided you want to lose some weight (whether it be just a few pounds or a large chunk of your body mass), chances are you've done the research on diets, plans, gyms, exercises, and anything that you can find on that subject. If so, you've probably seen that most credible sources will tell you that weight loss and fitness are strongly related. If not, that's what I'll tell you now.

If you want to lose weight, you first need to evaluate a few truths. The most obvious is that if you burn off more calories than you eat, you will lose weight. You can either chose to do no "extra" exercise and eat very, very little in order to lose weight, or you can stick to a plan that will burn off enough calories and allow you not to starve yourself. It's also important to note that overly-decreasing your calorie intake can backfire on you because your body will slow your metabolism down in order to accommodate this adjustment in calorie intake. This will cause you to actually gain weight instead of lose it.

The next fact is that a combination of water and oxygen leads to fat burning. Make sure that you are getting at least a half gallon of water every day. Your body will use this water when you exercise,  and cause you to lose weight in a healthy way. Again, you must combine your water intake with some form of aerobic exercise (increased oxygen) for this to work. Choose something that you like and can do on a regular basis like Walking, biking, swimming, yard work, etc. As long as you get your heart rate up a little bit, it's a good fat burning exercise.

Finally, consistency is the key when it comes to your weight loss and fitness plan. So many people jump into something quickly with the mindset that they will just keep up the pace for a couple of weeks or a couple of months and then they can go back to their usual life.

In reality, your plan should be a life-long commitment. Even after you lose the weight, in order to maintain your goal weight, you need to eat right and get some activity in. So, pick an activity that you enjoy (or that you don't mind so much). Walking is one favorite. If you live in the city, you can actually walk part of the way to work, save on gym expenses, and not have to worry about finding time in your day to exercise. If not, no matter where you live, you can probably find the time to take a 20-minute brisk walk around your neighborhood. Bring a buddy along to keep you entertained and you'll see that the time flies. The connection between weight loss and fitness is too strong to ignore. So, pick your plan and stick with it for life.

How to Get Fit with the Best At-Home Workout

If you don’t have the time or the interest to go to the gym, it’s time to create some space at home. It’s easy to learn how to get fit with the best at-home workout. We’ll show you how! What makes this workout the best? To start, you can do it in the comfort of your home at any time of day. Most importantly, everything you need to succeed should already be available to you. How great is that?
Full body workouts are the key to changing your body. This workout targets the groups that truly define the body: arms, abs, and legs. Then, you just need hard work with minimal resting to push your body over walls that may be limiting your change. It’s easy to accomplish using this at-home workout.

You’ll start with arm exercises, jump into ab work, and jump right back into an arm exercise. Then, switch to lower body, combine arm and abs, and close out with another lower body workout. Although you’re getting to rest muscle groups briefly, you’re also working another group while they rest. Then, you go back into them to keep the burn and benefits rolling. This guarantees your body is burning fat while keeping your muscles engaged to promote toning and building.

How to Get Fit with the Best At-Home Workout

What You’ll Need: a yoga mat or soft surface, interval timer (available on most phones)
What to Do: Perform this routine 4 times a week.
Beginner Workout: Perform each exercise for 30 seconds, resting 15 seconds in between each exercise. Complete 4 rounds, resting 1 minute in between each round.
Intermediate Workout: Perform each exercise for 45 seconds, resting 20 seconds in between each exercise. Complete 4 rounds, resting 30 seconds in between each round.
Advanced Workout: Perform each exercise for 1 minute with no rest in between. Complete 4 rounds, resting 30 seconds in between each round.
Meal planning makes a difference to your success. Get better results with this How to Get Fit with the Best At-Home Workout by coupling it with healthy eating choices. Our 14 Quick Dinner Ideas for Busy Weeknights offers a delicious variety of meals to help you refuel and relax after your workout. If you eat right and work out on a regular basis, you will definitely notice positive changes in your body.

Exercises

1. Pushups (Modified or Regular)
2. Bicycle (Slow)
3. Tricep Dips
4. Side Leg Squat (Perform on each leg)
5. Plank (Forearm or Straight Arm)
6. Bulgarian Split Squat (Perform on each leg)

The Best Beginner’s Home Workout for Women

For many women, the toughest part of beginning a fitness plan is working up the nerve to step into the gym for the first time. We certainly understand the intimidation factor, but remember that the vast majority of gym-goers are there to focus on their own health, so you should focus on yours. With that in mind, our Beginner’s Home Workout is the perfect way to familiarize yourself with basic moves to get you feeling ready from the comfort of your own home!
A common fear when heading to the gym is being unsure how to do the exercises the right way. Over the course of 6 weeks, this bodyweight workout will help you build a basic foundation of strength and understanding of proper movement patterns. After the 6 weeks have passed, you can decide if you want to join your local gym, or perhaps you’ll be ready to take part in one of our more advanced challenges!

The Best Beginner’s Home Workout for Women

What you need: an Interval Timer / a Yoga Mat or towel
What to do: Perform each move for the designated number of reps. We’ve included instructional videos for each move below. 
Week 1 and 2: Set your interval timer for 10 minutes. Cycle through the moves for as many rounds as possible during that time period. Rest for 30 seconds in between rounds. Complete the routine three times each week.
Week 3 and 4: Set your interval timer for 15 minutes and cycle through the moves for as many rounds as possible. Rest for 20 seconds in between rounds. Complete this routine four times per week.
Week 5 and 6: Set your interval timer for 20 minutes and perform the moves for as many rounds as possible within that time frame. Rest for 10 seconds in between rounds. Aim to perform this routine five times each week.

The Exercises

1. Squats – 10 reps
2. Jumping Jacks – 10 reps
3. Push-ups – 10 reps
4. Reach Through Crunches – 10 reps
5. Walking Lunges – 10 reps (5 per leg)
6. High Knees – 20 reps (10 per leg)
7. Alternating Curtsy Lunges – 10 reps (5 per leg)
8. Reverse Crunches – 10 reps
9. Hip Bridges – 10 reps

This Beginner’s Home Workout is the perfect way to begin your fitness journey. When combined with a healthy diet, you will begin seeing results in no time. Remember, consistency is key to weight loss success! Put in the effort and the results will come.
If you’ve stuck to the plan, you’re probably ready for a more advanced program. As stated above, you may feel ready to join a gym! If this is the case, try one of these easy-to-follow gym programs:

Getting Fit At Home

No money for a gym membership? No gym nearby? Or as in my case, just too cold to go to the gym? No worries – you don’t need to belong to a gym to get a great workout. Here are some tips for getting a great workout at home.






Workout Videos and DVDs – Check out You Tube, iTunes, your local library or DVD swap websites (such as Swap A DVD or Swap.com) for workout videos or DVDs to try out. This is your chance to try out different types of workouts such has Yoga, Pilates, Ballet and Zumba for free or little cost. My favorite is Hula for an escape to the islands on a cold day.
Exercise Bands – For around $10, you can get an exercise band. Exercise bands are great for adding some resistance training to your workout without investing in weights. You can use it for numerous exercises such as squats, chest presses, tricep extensions and bicep curls. Also, exercise bands are completely portable so it’s great for exercising while traveling or at the office.
Stairs – If you have stairs in your house or building, climbing stairs can provide a great cardio and leg toning workout. Put some music on and start with just a few flights at first and build up to more and more flights. If you don’t have access to stairs, try doing some steps ups on a sturdy box for few minutes.
By working out at home you can work out when it’s convenient for you. Do you have any tips for working out at home?

Whether you work out at the gym or at home, having a plan to follow can make all the difference, in most part because it takes a lot of the decision-making – and therefore opportunities to procrastinate – out of your hands. Here are three options to get you started.
Goal: Lose weight The inimitable Joe Wicks shared this plan, which is four sessions a week for four weeks. You don’t need any equipment to do these 20-minute high-intensity circuits, although give yourself at least five minutes either side to warm up and down and catch your breath.
Goal: Get strong If you have (or don’t mind investing in) a set of dumbbells, use this four-week plan to build strength and power throughout your entire body. The three workouts are intended to be done on Monday, Wednesday and Friday so you have the weekend free to recover.
Goal: Build muscle This is a muscle-building workout plan with a difference – it uses just your bodyweight to stimulate muscle growth. That means there are some tricky moves in here so beginners should start elsewhere or substitute in easier variations. You’ll need to set aside three one-hour slots a week and find yourself a pull-up bar and a bench (or any sturdy platform).

10 Minutes to Toned Obliques

The obliques don’t get enough attention when it comes to ab exercises. Without toning your obliques, you’ll end up with the dreaded block-shaped midsection. Oblique work allows you to trim your waist down and add extra curves to your shape. Our 10 Minutes to Toned Obliques workout is the perfect plan to slim down your waist and show off those hard-to-reach side abs.

Eat Right for a Tight Tummy

You’re putting in all of this effort to build and shape your abdominal muscles, but all of your hard work will go unnoticed if don’t eat right! Clean up your diet and reveal those beautiful muscles with one of these clean-eating meals:

10 Minutes to Toned Obliques

What to Do: Perform each exercise for 45 seconds. Complete two rounds, resting for one minute in between the rounds. Perform this workout at least five times a week.

What You’ll Need: One heavy dumbbell (10 to 20 pounds) and an interval timer (available on most phones).

1. Russian Twists
2. Cross-Body Toe Reach
3. Bicycle
4. Weighted Russian Twists
5. Alternating Heel Touch
6. Fast Bicycle

Slimming our midsection is an ongoing goal for many of us. Some days, we feel bikini ready, and other days we would rather keep our stomach covered up. Whether you prefer flat or muscular abs, it takes dedication and the right combination of exercises. Our guide to how to get a flat stomach combines cardio, planks, and additional ab exercises, all designed to get results.

• For all plank exercises, make sure to keep your core tight and roll your abs toward your spine to get the full benefit.
• Without clean eating, your abs will stay hidden beneath a layer of fat. Look over our Top 25 Flat Belly Foods to balance exercise with eating.
• Planks may be challenging because of the pressure on your shoulders. As you continue to do them, your shoulders will develop and become stronger.
• Rotate the exercises to help promote growth and avoid hitting a plateau.

How To Get A Flat Stomach in 7 Moves

Equipment: yoga mat and interval timer

What to Do: Perform each exercise for 1 minute and rest for 15 seconds after. Rest 30 seconds in between rounds. Perform this exercise 3 times a week over a 30 day period for great results.

Beginner Level: 4 rounds
Intermediate and Advanced Levels: 5-6 rounds

1. Elbow to Knee Crunch

The elbow to knee crunch stabilizes your lower abs while working your upper abs. Bringing your elbows in also engages your obliques slightly.

7 Minutes To A Slimmer Waist

What is it about a slim waist that’s so appealing? A slim waist reveals two things about you: you know how to work hard to get a flat belly, and it reveals those curves that love to hide behind layers of fat. Our 7 Minutes To A Slimmer Waist workout is the perfect fast-paced ab workout to trim the fat from all sides of your midsection.

In order to get the best out of your abs, you’re going to need to add resistance. Medicine balls are a fun and unique weighted equipment. Their shape forces you to use minor muscle to hold them steady while targeting the major muscle group you’re working on; in this case, it’s your abs. This workout will give you multi muscle group focused work with minimal rest. Get ready to focus on balancing and building.

7 Minutes To A Slimmer Waist

What to Do: Perform each exercise for 40 seconds without rest in between. Complete two rounds, resting for 20 seconds in between each round. Perform this workout four times a week.

What You’ll Need: A yoga mat, a medicine ball (10 to 20 pounds), and an interval timer (available on most phones).

1. Medicine Ball Standing Rotations
2. Russian Twist w/Medicine Ball
3. Medicine Ball Pike
4. Mountain Climber w/Medicine Ball
5. Medicine Ball Plank

Get additional fat burn by combining this workout with any of these Top 3 Weight Loss Menus to Burn Fat Faster.

The 7 Best Planks for Amazing Abs

Planks are a surprisingly all-purpose ab exercise that offer results even if you don’t move at all. Most exercises require lifting, pulling, or pushing, but most planks only require you to hold and squeeze. Additionally, there are also planks that require minimal movement but offer amazing results. The 7 Best Planks for Amazing Abs combines a variety of still and moving planks to tighten your core and burn belly fat through isolation.

Isolating muscles is essential for overall stability, getting over a plateau, and making life a lot more comfortable. By isolating and strengthening your abs, you’ll build a stronger and more stable core for walking, sitting, and standing. Beautiful ripped ab are an added bonus! Get your mat ready and redefine what stability means.

The 7 Best Planks for Amazing Abs

What to Do: Perform the plank workout below based on your fitness level. Complete this workout three times a week, or mix it into your other ab workouts. Be sure to breathe steadily and roll your abs toward your spine when you hold a plank.

What You’ll Need: A yoga mat and an interval timer (available on most phones).

Beginner Workout: Hold each pose for 20 seconds with 10 seconds rest in between the pose. Complete two rounds, resting for one minute in between each round.

Intermediate Workout: Hold each pose for 30 seconds with 10 seconds rest in between the pose. Complete two rounds, resting for one minute in between each round.

Advanced Workout: Hold each pose for 30 seconds with no rest in between the pose. Complete three rounds, resting for 30 seconds in between each round.

1. High Plank
2. Plank Alternating Knee To Elbow
3. Low Plank
4. Plank Tap
5. Up/Down Plank
6. Plank Hop
7. Star Plank

All the sweating you’ll be doing is going to leave you thirsty and in need of fuel. Try any of these Top 10 Flat Belly Breakfast Smoothies after your workout to fell refreshed and reenergized.

Lower belly bulge is pesky; it loves to attract fat! Once an excess starts to build up, shredding the fat takes hard work and dedication. We created the 10-Minute Lower Belly Burn Workout to give you the best moves to target your lower belly from all angles and burn that fat away.

This workout is going to be more of a challenge than a workout. Working on your abs is a bit different than other muscle groups. The effort can be minimal, but the burn can quickly catch up with you. Our lower belly burn offers a mix of lifts, crunches, and planks to give your muscles a bit of rest while you keep working and pushing through. Grab a mat and get ready for an intense and amazing burn.

10-Minute Lower Belly Burn Workout

What to Do: Set your interval (or phone) timer for 10 minutes. Perform each exercise for 10 reps while the timer is running. When you complete all the odd rounds (1, 3, and 5), rest for 10 seconds. After the even rounds (2, 4, and 6), rest for 20 seconds. Continue this routine until the ten minutes are up.

After two weeks, challenge yourself by bumping this workout up to 12 minutes and reversing the workout order. Complete this workout five times a week.

What You’ll Need: A yoga mat or soft surface, and an interval timer (available on most phones).

1. Leg Lifts
2. Scissor Kicks
3. Low Plank
4. Bicycle
5. Reverse Crunches
6. Spiderman Plank

Give your belly the additional gift of slimming and toning with these 5 Foods that Burn Belly Fat Fast.

HardCORE Holiday Workout

Give yourself the gift of a toned and sexy core this holiday season. Most of us increase our food intake during the holiday season, and you should be able to enjoy each meal from start to finish. There’s no reason to live in guilt or worry about adding extra pounds around your waist. Our HardCORE Holiday Workout gives you a perfect blend of ab work to keep your entire midsection strong, toned, and free from the extra holiday baggage.

Your core is compromised of your abs and lower back; it’s the centerpiece of the body. There’s more to your core than what you see. A strong, well-developed core can help reduce lower back pain while also creating toned abs. That means no lower belly bulge and extra fat burning every day!

HardCORE Holiday Workout

What to Do: Perform this workout four times a week.

What You’ll Need: A yoga mat or soft surface, one medium to heavy set of dumbbells (see below for suggested weight), and an interval timer (available on most phones).

Beginner Workout: Perform each exercise for 30 seconds with 10 seconds of rest in between exercises. Complete 3 rounds, resting for 30 seconds in between each round. For weighted exercises, use a 10 to 15 pound dumbbell.

Intermediate Workout: Perform each exercise for 40 seconds with 10 seconds of rest in between exercises. Complete 4 rounds, resting for 30 seconds in between each round. For weighted exercises, use a 15 to 20 pound dumbbell.

Advanced Workout: Perform each exercise for 40 seconds with no rest in between exercises. Complete 4 rounds, resting for 20 seconds in between each round. For weighted exercises, use a 20 to 25 pound dumbbell.

1. Reverse Crunch
2. Weight Crunch
3. Spiderman Plank
4. Scissor Lifts
5. Boat Pose
6. Hollow Rock
7. Plank Drag

While you enjoy this HardCORE Holiday Workout, eat healthier this holiday season with any of these 5 Holiday Slow Cooker Recipes You Need Now.

14-Day Beginner’s Core-Building Workout Challenge

A stronger core leads to an easier life. Your core is the epicenter of the body and takes on the weight of your daily routine. Your abs and back make up your core, and unless you build them, you may slowly slide into a life full of lower back pain, belly bulge, and discomfort. Our 14-Day Beginner’s Core-Building Workout Challenge will tone, build, and strengthen your abs, lower back, and core for a stronger and more beautiful midsection.

Building your core requires focusing on your abs and lower back simultaneously. Ab exercises work on the surface for show, but without getting into the underbelly, you won’t develop a stronger core. Lower back pain is on the rise since society has shifted to a more sedentary lifestyle. You need to build and strengthen the front and back of your core to create perfect balance.

14-Day Beginner’s Core-Building Workout Challenge

What to Do: Follow the workout plan below.

What  You’ll Need: A yoga mat or soft surface, an interval timer (available on most phones), a medicine ball, and a set of three to five pound dumbbells.

Week One

While you start your beginner’s core-building challenge, complete our 14-Day Flat Belly Meal Plan for the perfect package.

Day 1: 6 Core-Sculpting Moves to a Tighter Tummy
Day 2: Ab & Core Home Workout
Rest Day 3
Day 4: 3-Minute Plank Challenge for Beginners
Day 5: 5 Moves to Strengthen Your Core
Rest Day 6
Day 7: 8 Yoga Poses for a Strong Core

Week Two

Boost your core-building workout and get with these 39 Flat Belly Snacks to keep your belly full and your body energized.

Day 8: 5 Exercises for Your Strongest Core Ever
Day 9: 5 Core Exercises To Blast Fat From All Sides
Rest Day 10
Day 11: 5-Minute Core Plank Challenge
Day 12: 20-Minute Core Strength Workout
Rest Day 13
Day 14: Daily Morning Core Workout

Once you master the beginner’s core-building workout challenge, switch things up with our 5 Day Beginner’s Kettlebell Challenge.

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