Many people are interested in toning and sculpting their bodies. Some people who eat well and exercise regularly still may have difficulty getting the toned body that they are looking for. Thankfully, there are several ways to accomplish this goal. Here are a few tips that will help you with toning and sculpting.

Start with a cardio warm-up of about 10-15 minutes to get your heart pumping and increase the temperature in your muscles. Warmer muscles are less likely to tear. Don’t skip your warm-up to save time or because it bores you. You could be setting yourself up for injury. Workouts that combine a variety of strength moves along with several cardio moves are great for toning and sculpting.

Mix up the activities that you do in your workout in order to “keep your muscles guessing.” If you do the same workout every time and in the same order, your body will get used to doing this routine and you could hit a training plateau. By changing your exercises up a daily basis, you prevent this from happening and your workouts will be more effective. Plus, getting away from your usual routine and adding some variety into your training will keep you from getting bored.

Involve plenty of movement in your exercises and use only moderately heavy weights for most exercises. Lighter weights allow you to perform more reps. Try not to do more than 15 reps per set, however, and be careful not to rush through your reps. This could result in you using momentum to lift rather than your muscles. In addition, you may want to use different weights for different exercises or even on different days. Again, variety will help keep your muscles guessing and help you sculpt your body.

It’s also important to note that weights aren’t the only method of toning and sculpting. Resistance bands, kettlebells, exercise balls, medicine balls and many other types of equipment are great as well.

Drink plenty of water and eat well on a regular basis. You won’t be able to tone and sculpt your body if  you have unwanted fat on your body. Eating a healthy diet is key to toning and sculpting. In addition, drinking water regularly will keep you hydrated and help promote a faster metabolism.

Toning and sculpting gives you strength and muscle tone. It also helps you look and feel great. By following the tips listed here, you’ll be well on your way!

Keeping active and staying in shape is important for anyone at any age. However, for seniors, staying active may even be more important than it is for everyone else. Regular exercise  is important because it boosts energy, keeps your muscles flexible and working. It can also lead to lower chances of pain, soreness or injury in daily life. Staying fit is also good for your mind and spirit. You’ll be more independent, feel better about yourself and enjoy life more.

Some seniors are concerned about exercising. They worry that they may hurt themselves, fall or otherwise encounter problems during exercise.  If you have a health condition or other concern, you may feel that exercise isn’t possible for you. However, there may be some smaller exercises that you can do to keep yourself active. Remember, everyone is different and everyone works out in different ways.

Some people feel that being active is “for the young,” but that’s not true at all! Exercise is beneficial at every age. Here are a few seniors fitness tips that will get you on you started.

Take it Slowly

This is especially true if you haven’t exercised regularly in a very long time. When you exercise, start slowly, take  note of how you feel and don’t push yourself too hard. Even if you can only manage to go for a short walk each day, that’s better than not doing any exercise at all. Once you feel comfortable with a small amount of exercise, you can gradually increase your workout if you feel comfortable.

Stay Safe

If you start to feel dizzy or weak, take a break. If something hurts you, stop exercising. The goal is to feel better, not worse!

Make sure that you drink plenty of water before, during and after your workout. You’ll also want to ensure that you’re wearing safe and comfortable clothing and that you have a hazard-free place to exercise.

Exercise with a Friend

Not only is it safer to work out with a friend, but it’s also more fun. For example, you can take a walk with a friend, relative or neighbour. You’ll be able to chat as you go and it won’t feel like so much of a chore.

Ask your Doctor

If you’re just starting an exercise routine, you should let your doctor know before you start. He or she will give you some guidance as to what exercises will work best for you and advise you of any issues or restrictions you may have.

Have fun!

Not only does working out at home save you the hassle of driving to the gym, getting stuck in traffic and searching for parking, but you’ll also save money on a gym membership and you won’t need to train in a crowded facility with a bunch of other people.

Some may think that you can’t get as good of a workout when training at home, but that isn’t true. Training at home is a convenient and effective choice. Here are a few tips for anyone who is looking to do some in-home training.

Make sure that you have a safe workout area. You’ll need to have enough space to be able to exercise safely. You don’t want to hurt yourself or others by stepping on or tripping over any clutter while you’re exercising. An exercise space that is out of the way and free of hazards is very important. You should have a clear space of at least six feet by six feet in size for your in-home training area. A lot of people use a portion of their living room or basement, but where you decide to workout will depend on your own unique needs and the layout of your home.

In-Home Exercises with No Equipment

When you’re training in-home, you obviously won’t have all of the exercise equipment that you would have at the gym. That’s fine. You don’t need fancy, expensive equipment to build muscle and lose weight. In fact, there are a number of exercises that you can do without any equipment at all! Some of these exercises include:

• Push-ups
• Jumping jacks
• Crunches
• Squats
• Leg lifts
• Jogging in place
• And many other exercises

Simple In-Home Training Equipment

If you want to add some fitness equipment to your home, there are a number of options available. It’s understandable that most people don’t want to spend the money to buy large expensive equipment and even fewer people have space in their homes to fit an entire gym, so you’ll want to purchase small and inexpensive equipment. Don’t worry, you can still get a great workout without all of that fancy machinery.

Dumbbells are a great choice for in-home training because they don’t take up very much space. Don’t worry about buying an entire set with various different weights, just purchase a few weights that you’ll think you’ll use. There are even adjustable dumbbells available so that you can change the amount of weight with ease. These are great for people with space limitations.

Other great in-home personal training equipment includes kettlebells, jump ropes, resistance bands and steps. These all give you a great workout and allow you to perform a variety of exercises while taking up minimal space. You may also want a mat or cushion to protect you when doing exercises on the hard floor.

Running can be frustrating when burn out comes after the first ten minutes. What’s even more frustrating is continuing on the same intervals routine – even changing up an interval routine – still not seeing any time increase and not knowing what can be done to improve distance ran.

So, while everyone who has done even a small bit of reading knows intervals can help increase stamina, what else can be done to increase time pounding the pavement when intervals just aren’t good enough?

If you’re looking for distance over speed, a recent study from South Dakota State University suggests running intervals on flat terrain is more effective for improving distance running than hill repeats. So while running hills may feel rewarding, it’s actually doing your body good to choose flat landscapes to run on. The study had runners do intervals twice a week for six weeks, on either level ground or a small incline. The results showed that the athletes who ran on a flat surface were able to run longer and more effectively without tiring out as quickly as the hill runners.

If distance is what you’re after, look for a flat area to run and watch your time improve relatively quickly. If you’re looking for speed over distance, however, or are training for an intense course, experts say it is better to run on hills for the intensity.

Our contest isn’t for another year,… January 24th, 2014, but you can enter now if you are patient enough! If you entered last year, you will automatically be re-entered.

We picked out ten expert tips from their article that are especially useful, but direct yourself over here for the full 25.

1. Buy junk food you hate – if you’re buying something full of fat and sugar for family members who don’t share the same goals you do, buy something you dislike to avoid temptation, says Jamie Goldberg, who lost 97 lbs.
2. Eat healthy foods… but not too much – if you overeat healthy foods such as coconut oil, nut butters, etc. they stop being healthy. According to JJ Virgin, author of the Virgin Diet, everyone has one, so you should keep it out of the house.
3. Don’t eat so much meat – a former Good Morning America co-host says she lost 30 lbs by eating “80 per cent things that grow and no more than 20 per cent things that walk.”
4. Keep yourself distracted – Coral Arvon, PhD, suggests food cravings pass in 10 minutes. Keep yourself occupied with something else for 10 minutes before reaching for a snack.
5. Eat your soup – You’ll eat 20 per cent fewer calories by eating a bowl of vegetable soup before a meal, according to Barbara Rolls, PhD.
6. Blog about it – the author of Think and Grow Thin suggests blogging about your goals makes it tougher to quit at them. You have an audience.
7. Apples just got more a-peel-ing — A substance in apple peels increases muscle and burns calories, says a study from the University of Iowa.
8. Stress eater? Breathe – MD Jim Nicolai says to counter stress-eating with a “4-7-8 breath.” Inhale through your nose for a count of four, hold for a count of seven, then exhale through your mouth for a count of eight. Repeat this four times.
9. Add oil to bread – fat and carbs may not seem like the best weight loss solution, but a 2003 study in the International Journal of Obesity says using olive oil instead of butter is best. You’ll eat less bread and less calories.
10. See your goals in a different light – Anne Parker, resort and spa owner, suggests changing your goals from things like “lose 20 lbs” to “lose 1 lb 20 times.”

So how can one actually become a morning workout person?

Women’s Health recommends these seven tips:
Sleep in your workout clothes

1. Stretch for your workout while still in bed – you can still stay in bed and stretch your muscles before hitting the gym. Stretch your hamstrings and upper body in the comfort of your warm bed.
2. Wake up and smell the coffee… literally – if your coffee maker has an auto-set function, set it the night before so the smell will wake you up.
3. Ditch the annoying buzzer and set your alarm to fast-paced music – pick something that makes you want to get up and get moving.
4. Drink plenty of water
5. Be realistic – a short workout is better than no workout. Telling yourself you will exercise for an hour is a lot more daunting and easy to skip out on. Go for a shorter time.
6. Make the habit – the first few weeks will be the hardest, but once you make morning workouts part of your daily routine it will be a breeze.

So that’s all well and good. But how much protein should a person be consuming to gain muscle and stay healthy, then? The short answer is, it all depends on your age and level of activity. A 25-year-old bodybuilder will require much more protein than a 65-year-old jogger. The good news is, if you have a relatively average fitness level, you can calculate how much protein to consume (it’s roughly 20-30 per cent of your total intake, according to medical professionals) using a tried and true formula using caloric intake to calculate how many grams of protein you should aim to consume.

For example, if you’re a male who consumes about 2,200 calories per day:

2200 x 0.20 = 440 protein calories

1 gram of protein = 4 calories, so if you divide the number by 4, that’s approximately 110 grams of protein per day to build muscle.

While protein shakes are easily absorbed and good in a pinch, especially post-workout when your body needs it most,  protein rich foods are preferable for maximum nutritional benefit. Consume quality food like eggs, legumes, tofu and lean meat. In the end, though, you probably need less protein than you think, as few people are deficient in protein. While it’s important to be aware of what you’re consuming, protein myths don’t always have to be acknowledged. Most will stay as just that… myths to be debated.

1. Don’t go to the grocery store hungry – this is maybe the oldest tip in the book when it comes to avoiding impulsive food purchases, but it’s also the best. If you have a healthy snack before going to the store so those Cheetos will look less appealing.

2. Make a list – meal planning and list making can help you feel less overwhelmed and impulsive when shopping for food. Take an hour or two on a Sunday to plan out healthy meals for the week, then shop for only those ingredients.

3. Shop the perimeters of the store – avoid the middle aisles, which is where the processed junk lies. The fridge, freezer and produce sections often contain the most healthy choices.

4. Read nutritional information and ingredients – just because something is labeled “low fat,” “low calorie,” or “all-natural,” it isn’t necessarily healthy. Avoid processed sugars, artificial sweeteners and chemical preservatives.

5. Try something new – eating healthy shouldn’t feel militant or bland. Don’t keep buying the same things week after week. Make it a point to try a new vegetable or fruit each week to keep things interesting and delicious, and experiment with new healthy recipes.

• Buy produce that is in season – many people avoid buying fruit and vegetables because it’s “too expensive.” It’s actually very inexpensive to buy produce when it’s in season. Not only does seasonal produce taste better, but it costs a lot less. Avoid buying that $8 box of berries when they’re out of season and go for seasonal items instead. Buying locally is also a plus when possible.

• Stick to whole, unprocessed food – not only is unprocessed food much healthier, it’s often less expensive. Try buying oats instead of boxed cereal, or fresh fruit instead of processed junk food.

• Use coupons and shop from the flyer – this seems like an obvious tip, but taking that extra five minutes to clip coupons or check out a store’s flyer before grocery shopping can save you tons.

• Invest in a slow cooker – slow cooking makes healthy eating extremely easy. Throw some beans, grains and vegetables in and let it cook all day, then come home to a healthy meal.

• Buy in bulk – buying bulk is often less expensive and more environmentally friendly than the alternative, and lets you control how much you buy. Try buying things like flour, pasta, spices, rice, grains, beans and nuts bulk.