The best hours of the day to do exercises

Is there a “best” time of the day to exercise? Can you get more benefits from doing your regular exercise routine on a specific time than you would if you do it in another? Should you change your exercise schedule to a more exercise-conducive time of the day?

Unfortunately, there has been no definitive scientific study that has been done and that has determined the best hours of the day to do exercises.  There is currently no generally accepted evidence that can show that doing exercises at a certain time of the day would be better than doing the same exercises at a different hour.  Furthermore, there has been no conclusive research completed that says more calories are burned with more efficiency if the exercise is done in the morning rather than in the afternoon or vice versa.

There is however, the body clock or the circadian rhythm of the body.  This circadian rhythm determines the 24 hour cycle that your body goes through.  It determines whether you are an early morning person or a late night person.  Your circadian rhythm is endogenous to your body, which means that it is a “built in” characteristic of your body, thus even though there are ways for you to turn yourself into a night owl even though your circadian rhythm says that you are an early bird,  it is best to follow the natural likings of your body.  Thus, once you determine that you are an early bird type of person, it would be more natural for you to exercise in the morning. If you are the night owl type, then doing your exercise routine would probably work better for you.

Aside from the circadian rhythm, other factors can also affect the best time for you to get into your exercise habit.  Work, family, and other commitments can easily take over your time during the day.  If you are a very busy person and this is the main reason that is keeping you from getting the exercise that you need then morning exercises would be your best option.  Doing exercises in the morning will allow you to focus on your exercises before any of your other responsibilities would require your attention.  Furthermore, getting your exercise before your busy day would actually help you get energized for the long day ahead.  The proper exercise will make your body more attuned to the grind that the day brings.  It will also get you into the right mood to handle all of the pressures and the stress that you will be facing.

The bottom line however, is that you get to exercise.  Whether you do it in the morning, in the evening, or even during your lunch break, the important thing is that you do not skip your exercise.  The benefits of exercise are numerous and they will affect you no matter what time of day you do it.  So choose the time of day when you can exercise regularly and when you can actually enjoy your exercise.

Perseverance and Training

If you have ever gone on a training routine or an exercise program you will know that the most difficult part of it is sticking to the program until it is completed.  It sounds easy enough to go to the gym on the designated days and start hitting the equipment, or to get on your personal treadmill and start running but it is a lot easier said than done, right?  Getting the first few days done is usually what most people are able to accomplish and the rest of the program is sent down the drain.  According to the health club and gym industry, almost 50% of their members do not even complete their first year of membership in the club, even though most of these people have already paid for the whole year.  Given that there is even less motivation for people who try to do their own workout routines at home, the numbers of those who do not complete their home exercise programs are probably even higher.

Thus, the biggest factor that will eventually determine the amount of success you get from your exercise routine is your perseverance in continuing and following through with your program.  No doubt, there will be plenty of times when you slow down and get bored doing the exercises that you might want to just stop.  Other times, there might be situations in your life that will make it hard for you to stick with your exercise and training program such as hectic work schedules and family commitments.  All of these are very common occurrences and they are very easy to use as excuses to not go on with your training.  But if you want to be successful and attain your goal, you should persevere through these excuses and continue to work hard in your training and workout routine.

The best way to persevere through your training is to look at it as a series of small battles rather than one large full scale war.  If you look at it as one big war, you would say to yourself “I need to be able to run the full marathon”.  This statement would put too much pressure on you because the task is too difficult to be done in a single program.  However, if you say to yourself “I am going to work my way to the full marathon by conquering the 5k, 10k, and 21k races” you would be preparing yourself well for the final goal of completing the 42k full marathon.  By conquering the smaller races first, you will give yourself a great feeling of accomplishment which will be your fuel to persevere in your training towards finishing in the full marathon.  By giving yourself different smaller challenges, you eliminate the chances that you will get bored with your training, thus you have one less excuse to worry about.  Furthermore, by training for smaller events first, you will be able to better manage your time and be able to attend to your other commitments along with your training.

This article is about training routine or an exercise program to keep you fit and robust. For similar articles like this you can visit Family Fitness Holidays in Spain website.

Beach Sports

There are many sports that are now becoming popular activities at the beach.  There’s beach volleyball, Frisbee or Ultimate, beach football, and even beach tennis.  The beach is no longer just a place to lie around in the sand or to build sand castles in.  It has now become a fitness and sports haven as well.

Beach tennis is a relatively new sport as it was officially formalized as a sport only in new York in the year 2005.  By 2007, the Beach Tennis USA was formed and it became the official organization in charge of standardizing the sport.  

Beach tennis is played in the same court where beach volleyball is played and it uses standard tennis rackets.  The tennis ball used in beach tennis however has significantly less pressure than that of a standard tennis ball.  Beach tennis balls are pressurized at 6 lbs whereas standard tennis balls are pressurized at 12 lbs.  The net used in beach tennis stands at a height of 5 feet and 10 inches.

Scoring in beach tennis is the same as standard tennis i.e. 15-30-40. A score however is immediately made the first time the ball touches the sand, a player is not allowed to hit the ball after 1 bounce such as in standard tennis.  

Beach volleyball is probably the most popular beach sports; it is actually an official team sport in the Olympics. It is very similar to the standard volleyball game with only a few differences. Among these differences, foremost of all is of course the playing surface: beach volleyball is played on sand while standard volleyball is played on a hard, even surface.  Also, beach volleyball is played with only 2 players on each team and the court is smaller than that used in standard volleyball.  Furthermore, the ball used in beach volleyball is bigger, softer, and has less pressure than the ball used in standard volleyball.

There are no substitutions allowed in beach volleyball, the two players on each team get to play the entire game.  During service, the players are required to alternate.  With regard to positions however, they are not required to rotate.

The sport of Beach Frisbee is now officially called “Beach Ultimate” because the term Frisbee is a registered trademark of a toy making company.  This sport was first introduced in the 1960s.

The sport of Beach Ultimate is played similar to a game of football where the object of the game is to get the disc or the Frisbee across the end zone of the opposing team where a team mate can catch it.  An additional caveat is that players are only allowed one of their feet for as long as they are holding the disc.  Teams for Beach ultimate are usually composed of 4-5 players.

Beach soccer is played in a much smaller area than the field where regular soccer is played.  Thus even though the sand is much more uneven than the field, beach soccer usually results in much higher scoring results than regular soccer.  Teams for beach soccer consist of a goal keeper and 4 other players.  They are not allowed to wear shoes during play but leg supports and ankle braces are allowed.  A game is made up of three periods lasting 12 minutes each.

This article is about Beach tennis and beach volleyball and how beach is going to be a popular venue for exercise. For similar articles like this you can visit Fitness Holidays Europe website.

Avoid allergies

An allergy is an adverse reaction that the body undergoes when it is exposed to an element or allergen – which may be food, clothing, animals, fluids, etc. – either through inhalation, ingestion, or even just mere exposure.  Once the body is exposed to an element that it is allergic to, it automatically releases histamines and many other chemicals as it tries to protect itself.  This however results in the body suffering various symptoms such as sore throat, itchiness in various areas in the skin, runny nose and nasal congestion, and in some cases respiratory congestion.  Allergies are often inherited but this does not mean that one family only suffers from one type of allergy.  Two children in one family can in fact suffer from two different allergies. For example, one child may suffer from hay fever while the other would have asthma.

For babies, breastfeeding is a very good way to avoid and counteract allergies.  Breastfeeding the baby in the first 6 months of its life greatly decreases the baby’s chances of succumbing to allergies as it grows older. This is due to the many different antibodies and chemicals that breast milk contains.  These antibodies act as barriers in the baby’s immune system which help it keep harmful allergens at bay.  Furthermore, these antibodies would be easily absorbed by the baby because it is human in nature.  Other chemicals which are artificial in nature have a chance of being rejected by the baby’s immune system.  It should be noted however that mothers who opt to breastfeed their highly allergic baby should also go on a diet that is free from allergens.  If she does not, the allergens present in the food that she eats can make their way into her breast milk and then into the baby.

In later stages of life, the best way to deal with allergies is to take away the allergens that cause it in the first place.  Once you have found out the allergens that can cause your allergies to flare up, try to stay away from them as much as you can.  If you are allergic to airborne allergens for example, such as airborne pollen, try to stay indoors as much as you can especially during windy days.  Keep your windows closed or at least put a screen on them to minimize the entry of airborne pollen into your room.  For problems such as eczema, you can ask your doctor for a prescription for a moisturizing cream that contains soap substitutes and even emollients.

If you find out that you are allergic to your pet, it is best to immediately look for another home for him. This would be better than keeping him in your home yet restricting him to the areas that he can go to or even keeping outside of the house. 

Also keep in mind that aside from the allergens themselves, there are other factors that can make allergies worse than they already are.  Smoke from tobacco and burning wood usually tend to irritate allergies and make them worse.  Aerosol sprays, polluted air, and cold temperatures also have the same effect.

This article is about allergies symptoms and how to keep away from them. For similar articles like this you can visit Fitness Holidays Europe.

What’s a better exercise - To walk or to run?

Running and walking are both great forms of exercise.  They both burn calories, they both improve your blood pressure and muscle mass, and they both give you the opportunity to do your exercise outdoors when its bright and sunny or to do your exercises indoors on your treadmill if it is raining or snowing.

But since running and walking are both good for you, how do you choose which one you should do?

The answer greatly depends on several factors: (1) the current level of fitness your body is in; (2) the goal you want to achieve; and (3) the amount of time you can allot for your exercise.

Your current fitness level is the biggest factor that will affect your decision to either walk or to run.  Walking is a lot more controlled than running.  It allows you to consciously monitor your steps and your strides.  Running on the other hand puts a lot of pressure on the knees the legs, and the feet.  Therefore, if you have any injuries on your knees, your ankles, or your legs in general, walking would be a lot better suited for you.  Furthermore, running puts a lot more strain on your heart and your lungs too.  It involves a lot more effort in a much shorter amount of time than walking that your respiratory system and your circulatory system should also be in good shape.  If you are just starting out, it would be a good idea to start out with walking to get yourself in the right fitness level and then work yourself up to where you can start running.

The goals you want to achieve will also play a big part when you choose whether to run or to walk as an exercise.  If your goal is to sculpt your legs, your buns, and your thighs, then running would be the better choice for you.  Running puts your body in a much better position to produce a better sculpted body than you would get from walking.  It also puts a lot more strain on your body forcing it develop more of your muscles and making your muscles a lot more firm.

When it comes to the number of calories burned though, walking and running are pretty much at the same level.  A 135 pound woman for example, can burn as much as 270 calories using walking as an exercise if she walks at the rate of 4mph for 40 minutes.  She can burn the same amount of calories using running as an exercise by running at a rate of 6 mph for a period of 20 minutes.

This leads to the time element.  If you have more time to spend on exercise then you can have the pleasure of choosing to walk rather than to run.  If you are constrained by other commitments however, then running will have to be your choice.  Just as the example above shows, if you choose to run, you will be able to burn the same amount of calories in half the time it would take you if you chose to walk.

This article is about work out exercises. For similar articles like this you can visit Fitness Classes Spain website.