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Kirsten Hawkins's Articles in EXERCISE & FITNESS

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Benefits Of Weight Training
Weight training isn’t just for Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sylvester Stallone anymore. It’s really a system of exercise and health benefits that are available to everyone. If you go to a local gym and observe, you can find everyone from teenagers to great-grandmas exercising and strength training.

Weight training doesn’t mean just using barbells – it involves much more than that and is most often combined with aerobic activity during the “circuit.”

The natural benefits ...
Efficient And Effective Exercise
I have been wondering lately about the effectiveness of exercising. If you look at life a couple generations ago, folks worked physically, but they weren't power-lifting and running miles upon miles to stay fit and trim.

So what were our ancestors doing to remain in good health and shape? First, let’s not neglect the fact that cars weren’t everywhere and that those who lived in towns often were able to walk wherever they needed to go. The days of small town living with a ...
Fitness For New Moms
Becoming a new mother is certainly one way to incorporate more exercise into your life! From lifting to bending to picking up items, to carrying – seems like you never have a chance to sit still now that your precious bundle has arrived!

However, you may be feeling the need to exercise to get back into shape after your pregnancy. There’s no need to join an expensive club, though. Start by exercising with your little one!

One of my favorite exercises when my niece was ...
Exercise Management
Exercise is vital to shedding excess weight and keeping it off. The body was meant to be active, and that is often a challenge in todayÕs often-sedentary lifestyles. White collar workers, security workers, and drivers make up a large part of the workforce, and get very little exercise daily. Especially if you fit into this category, a concerted effort must be made in order to ensure that an exercise regimen is followed that will afford you a level of activity that will provid...
Should You Join A Fitness Club?
If you feel a little intimidated about exercising with men in a big sweat-infused gym room, consider joining a ladies fitness club. Don’t worry- not all the ladies in the club are trim and physically fit. That’s why they’re there. You’ll find ladies of all shapes and sizes at the gym, and you’ll make some wonderful friends.

If you have a buddy that you can go with - talking during the exercise makes the time go by much faster, and the accountability is helpful on those da...
No Excuses Exercises
It's old news that exercising is the single best way to spark up your weight loss efforts. The activity perks up your metabolism, and eats up more calories. In addition, the more you exercise, the better the effect. Exercising builds muscle mass, which is denser and more compact than fat. That means your body has to expend more effort to pump blood through it, and it requires more nutrients to keep it healthy. The end result? Even at rest, your body naturally burns more calor...
Stretching Routines
Lots of physical activities build your muscles and strength, but many times other parts of your body are left out. Because stretching can be a full body workout, it can help to check any imbalance in your muscles.

If your body is flexible you will be less likely to get injured.

When you work specifically on increasing your flexibility, wear comfortable clothing that won't get in the way of your stretching. T-shirts, shorts, sweats, and tank tops are all fine, but ditch ...
Stretching & Yoga
Stretching and yoga aren’t just for swamis who can fold themselves up like pretzels, or movie stars who have nothing better to do with their days! It can be a beneficial practice to all who use it, and one doesn’t have to adopt the worldview of the swamis in order to reap benefits from it. The pace of our lives these days is crazy—some would argue destructive.

Yoga proponents say that learning the art form will not make you dull, but more magnetic, and show you the importa...
Senior Fitness
Staying fit and mobile plays a large role in senior health. It’s not always easy to maintain fitness levels as we age. Naturally, our bodies change, but we don’t want them becoming immobile! Here are some tips to make your senior years more enjoyable and fit.

As much as possible, continue doing your daily living tasks. Taking a bath, even if it’s just a sponge bath, gives your arms a mini-workout. You’re bending and keeping flexible, which is vital for proper joint health...
Preventing Injuries
Contrary to popular wisdom, stretching is not the cure-all that we’ve been led to believe. Walking, riding on a stationery bike, or doing calisthenics is a better way to warm up than stretching. If you stretch before your muscles are warmed up, you have a much greater chance of actually injuring the muscles. Stretching is best saved for after a vigorous workout.

Prevention of injury during exercise is best achieved by going slowly and paying attention to the task at hand....
The Best Treadmill
When searching for the best treadmill for you, ask yourself a couple questions.

• How often will you use it and how much time per day?
• How much space do you have?

The most important part of treadmill is the motor. When looking at how much horsepower the motor has, think of the term “continuous duty” – that’s how long the treadmill can keep working at the rate you’re walking. If you’re a runner, then you’re probably going to want a continuous duty of 2.5. On the ot...
Warming Up & Cooling Down
Before you begin exercising or lifting any weights at all, it’s important to take a few minutes to warm up your muscles. Doing some light exercises actually warms up your muscles and makes them more flexible. This way, you’re less likely to injure yourself during a workout.

Some warm-ups include exercise bike riding, walking, jogging, or even basic calisthenics. Don’t start at the pace you hope to keep during your workout; start slowly, building up momentum and energy as y...
Exercise — Take The Burn Out Of It!
Move it throughout the day! Get enough activity that makes you breathe a little harder. Five minutes here, ten there - add it up and go for thirty minutes a day. You don't have to suit up or climb on an exercise machine to get the benefits of activity.

Balance your activity so that you're still able to talk while you're exercising, but not as easily as you could sitting down or just standing. If you find yourself unable to talk, you're probably overworking yourself.

The...
Weight Training
For those that would like a more vigorous workout plan, weight training is a viable option that can combine building muscle tone and working the cardiovascular system. Weight training tones your muscles and raises your metabolism, which helps your body burn more calories not only when exercising, but also while you sleep. Weight training reverses the natural decline in your metabolism, which begins around age 30; therefore this is something to think about for all those who ha...

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