Water And Exercise

According to research, the human body is made up of over 75% of water, and as we all know, we cannot live without water.  The fact is, we can only survive for a total of 3 days without water.  Water has however, been replaced in most diets by soft drinks and other sugar sweetened refreshments.  Keep in mind that water is a healthier and necessary for you to achieve a better health and longevity.

Your own personal need for water can vary greatly due to exercise, weight, and temperature.  Research has proven that over 2/3 of adults don't get the water they need on a daily basis.  By drinking water on a regular basis you can replenish your body and keep it well hydrated and functioning as it should be.

A majority of us wait until we are thirsty before we drink water.  Bear in mind that by so doing you cannot meet the gauge of the water needs for the body.  By the time you are thirsty you have already lost two of more cups of the body's water supply.  Therefore, drinking water regularly is much better than simply waiting until you are thirsty.

It is very important that you don't substitute beverages with alcohol and caffeine for water.  The reason being that those beverages act as a diuretic and can cause you to lose more weight through increased urination.  You may think and feel as if you are getting more water through these beverages, although the fact is that you are letting it go almost as fast as you consume it.

Anytime you exercise, you need more water. Due to perspiration, your body will lose quite a bit of water.  For each pound lost due to exercise, you need to drink 2 cups of water.  Even when you lay down to sleep, your body loses water.  By drinking a glass or more of water before you go to sleep, you can wake up with your body functioning as it should be.

It should become more obvious that when you are sick you will need more water than any other time.  When you get a cold or flu, your body can become dehydrated quickly.  You can help to prevent this by drinking more water when you are sick.

Always make it a habit to drink water on a daily basis.  You should keep a bottle of water with you at all times and drink it throughout the day.  You should also learn to drink water instead of other beverages that cannot take the place of water in your body.

Exercise As Power Source

This day and age it can be very difficult indeed to go to the gym due to so many factors.  Life is very hectic and busy, which has created a serious challenge for remaining consistent with exercise each day.  Exercise is however, one of the major things we all need to reduce stress, and give the body the extra energy it needs to carry out normal living.

The best results of exercise are achieved through the use of refined techniques, functional exercises, cardio, the right nutrition, variety, awareness, consistency, and motivation over a period of time.

The refined techniques mean correct form to isolate muscles or to target areas of the body.  Efficiency is needed to ensure stimulation of the muscles.  With weight lift training, which is also known as resistance training, you'll need to eliminate any type of momentum.  

It is also important to move the weight about using a full range of motion.  Full range of motion causes the muscle to contract for the right amount of time and help to ensure the right length of the tendons.  The goal here is to strengthen the joints of your body by stimulating the muscles.

Cadence is also helpful, as it is a term that refers to the rate in which the resistance or the weight moves.  The best results with cadence are gained by slow movements which will cause the muscle to contract for a longer period of time.  You can mix in a series of fast and slow cadence, which is very beneficial with sports type training.

Using the correct angles will achieve muscle isolation in target areas and help to decrease the risk of injuries, which is great for those using heavy weights. 

Functional type exercise is a popular technique that will stimulate the core and torso of your body while you work on another muscle group at the same time.  As an example, when you perform a dumbbell press while lying on an exercise ball.

Your abdominal muscles and the core muscles will contract to hold your body into this position, while your chest and triceps muscles will push the dumbbells up.  This type of exercise and challenge will cause maximum stimulation to your body and keep the workout interesting and refreshing.

Cardio is another exercise that is great for the heart and lungs.  The total number of calories you burn is very important along with maintaining the right heart rate.   Cardio will help detoxify the body and also help to strengthen the immune system along with other benefits.  The muscles will contract and pass the lymph along, which will allow the immune system to clear away dead cells and bring new ones in.

Anytime you exercise, warming up is very important, as it will prepare your body for the more demanding workout of cardio.  You should always allow 15 - 30 minutes prior to weight lifting and 10 - 15 minutes prior to cardio exercises.  You should also stretch as well, as this will help get the blood flowing through your muscles and get them limber as well.

An ideal schedule for working out is to warm up then follow with cardio.  Even though you may think your schedule is simply too busy to maintain a schedule for working out, you will find that adding exercise will actually add more time, as you will have a lot more energy in your normal everyday life.  You can think of exercise as the batteries that will help to give your life power.

Your Property Can Keep You Fit

In our society today, people are suffering from obesity and ill-health related to lack of exercise like never before. In most cases, the habit of idleness and/ or the perceived expense of exercise may be blamed for this. However, I can tell you that you don't need a gym membership to keep fit! Your own property can present ways for you to improve your health! Your house offers many opportunities to exercise, especially if you have renovating, moving in or out, or landscaping to do. By making a few small changes to your routine, you can get more out of your property than just an attractive living space; it can be your fitness center as well.

Yard maintenance gives you many opportunities for exercise. Instead of getting the latest gas-powered lawn gadgets, look into non gas-powered ones. You can even use a cutlass which will give more room to exercise not just your arms or upper body but the entire system. You can also use a push mower instead of a gas-powered one. A gas-powered mower can add as much pollution to the atmosphere as a car and doesn't burn as many calories.

Landscaping is a huge calorie-burner. If you do as much as possible yourself, you will burn phenomenal amounts of energy lifting, carrying, digging, and placing. Gardening is another mild exercise that pays off with health benefits. Don't spray weed killer on weeds; get down there and pull them out yourself! You will burn about 250 calories an hour while you preserve the health of your environment and get rid of unwanted plants.

Household chores are workouts in disguise. For those who find it agonizing to go through chores, the best way to get it done is to treat it like a workout. Allot yourself an hour or a half-hour. Now move to get the household chores done. Carry the garbage out, get the laundry to the laundry room and vacuum the floor with energy. Lifting things to clean under them is another weight bearing exercise and don't forget running up and down the stairs when you need something. Once your allotted time is up - STOP. Your workout is

Little projects around the house can cost less if you learn how to do them yourself. They also provide hidden ways of exercising. If you are the one climbing the ladder to clear the gutter, please don't forget proper safety measures, you are the one reaping the benefits of the exercise. The same goes for painting, small repairs and rearranging the furniture. Raking and bagging dirty and leaves is excellent.

Just spending more of your time physically maintaining your house and property will pay off, not just in the pleasure of having an attractive home in good repair, but also in your personal fitness and health. In our present society, labor-saving devices are often not as labor-saving as they seem. You need to exercise and stay fit. Your home is a great place to start. Start now!