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Zach Hunt asked:


The truth about spas: A spa is a wonderful way to help the body recover and relax after an intense (or even a less intense) workout. There are several benefits to making time in your day to enjoy a visit to a spa

As more companies recognize the benefits of relaxing in a spa after exercise, many fitness centers are offering this service on site.

The Benefits Of A Spa After A Workout

The benefits of resting in a spa after you finish your workout are incredible to say the least. The most obvious benefit is that the Spa water will cleanse the body of dirt, sweat, and other undesired materials after exercise.

Since the body will eventually need to be cleaned after a workout, it is best to enjoy the additional benefits of a spa to increase the experience of optimal fitness. Another healthy benefit of using a spa is that the water will provide beneficiary for the skin.

For those people who are exposed to the elements on a daily basis, a spa can do wonders for less than perfect skin. Yet another advantage of relaxing in a spa is that you will experience the wonders of Hydrotherapy, which is a form of therapy that uses water to treat bodily disease and other forms of pain.

Hydrotherapy And Spa’s

Hydrotherapy is a benefit of the spa system that most spa users have no knowledge of. Hydrotherapy has been practiced by virtually every civilization in history, from the Egyptians to the citizens of today.

While Hydrotherapy is intended to be used as a form of medical treatment for those that suffer from musculoskeletal illnesses (ex: arthritis), it is useful for those who have recently completed a workout session.

As the muscles tend to cramp after an intense workout, the effects of the spa will ease your body, allowing you to think about more important aspects of your life. Releasing the body of toxins and stress accumulated during exercise is another way Hydrotherapy will help your fitness goals.

Relaxing Your Life With A Spa

The main purpose of the spa is to relax the body and mind. The spa improves the body of those who have not exercised prior to arriving so the positive effects for those individuals who have participated in a workout before entering a spa are simply amazing.

There is no real purpose in participating in a workout regiment if you are not going to enjoy the end results. If you only work your body without rewarding your body for the hard work that it has completed, your body will not reward you with good fitness and health. Allowing your body to recover after a workout, both physically and mentally, is vital so that you can go about your other daily activities as well as prepare yourself for your next workout. The spa is a great reward to give yourself after a workout session.

Try Out A Spa

With all of the benefits that can come out of a visit to the spa after a hard workout, you should definably schedule a visit. To get the most out of your visit to the spa, try to schedule it on a day that you will not have to worry about other activities, errands etc: it is best to schedule time at a spa on a day that you will workout and don’t have plans afterwards.

If your local fitness center does not feature a spa, you should browse through your phone book for a recreational spa location close to your residence.

Mike Morrical asked:


 As we begin a New Year, most all of us have some things that we would like to improve upon or not repeat this year.  The most popular New Year’s resolutions include achieving a stronger, healthier more youthful body through diet and exercise. 

This year do something different as you sit down to write your New Year’s resolutions and goals for 2010…”This year I am going to focus on just one or two goals and make those my New Year’s resolutions.” If you can do that and one of those is to lose weight or tone up your body for a new and healthier you…consider setting up a home gym or adding to your existing home gym using affordable but effective fitness products.   Make sure that the exercise equipment that you use targets the areas of your body that you wish to improve.  

Let’s face it…”It’s easier said than done!” But that should not discourage us if we set out a plan to succeed and not a plan to fail.  The basics are to incorporate a proper nutritious diet and exercise plan into your lifestyle!

But sometimes diet and exercise can be routine and boring!  So you may ask yourself: “How do I stick with this New Year’s resolution and make it work?”  First focus on changing your attitude and write down the positives of why you need to include diet and exercise in your life.  Note: These attitude changes should be written out and visual so that you refer to them often.  Such as:  “I am working out to do something good for me!  “Working out is time well spent on improving my overall health!”  “Getting physical, helps me reduce stress and puts my mind at rest”, well you get the idea.  Do your homework to identify a well balanced, work out plan that fits your schedule and write it out so that you follow it each day and check it off when completed or use a fitness diary.  These are available on line or at your local library. 

Second, change your routine!  Since we are all creatures of habit, change your lifestyle:  Find something physical that you enjoy doing and switch it up each day so that you get a variety of exercise by combining various fitness products with aerobic exercise.   This may include walking in a mall or along a scenic waterway or through a park if time is available or if the weather is poor for walking that day use your home gym aerobic exercise equipment such as an elliptical machine or a treadmill.  Include some weight training every other day working out with light weights at first and working different muscle groups to achieve optimum fitness.  (Remember building muscles will burn fat and calories.) 

Next follow a healthy eating plan, not a diet but a healthier fueling of your body and concentrate on portion control by using the suggested serving sizes.  Search out books on food and nutrition as there is a science to combining foods that will burn more efficiently in your body.  There are many of these plans on line for free or at your local library.  In your diet plan, include recipes, some energy foods and various filler foods that are not fattening like vegetables and some low fat proteins.

In summary in order to achieve your New Year’s resolutions for a healthier you, make it fun and part of a lifestyle that works for you by changing your attitudes about healthy eating and exercise.  If you can accomplish this by the time you sit down to write out your New Year’s resolutions for 2011…Look in a mirror and say I did it!  A balanced diet and exercise program is now part of your new healthy lifestyle!  Congratulations!

    **Please consult with your physician before beginning a fitness program**

Benedict Yossarian asked:


What’s the basic difference between working out at home and working out at a local fitness club or gym? The difference is simple and yet vital- human contact. For many people, the loneliness of exercising at home is what makes regular fitness plans unappealing.

Like unseasoned food, exercise becomes a boring chore that’s good for the body but boring for the psyche. If you think you’re lazing around because exercising alone is boring, perhaps it’s time you paid your local gym a visit.

Group fitness

According to Diana Emery, a fitness consultant at a local gym in Oregon:

“Group contact allows for a healthy amount of competition. In addition, being able to socialize while you burn the calories is actually a positive thing. It whiles away time and allows people to compare exercise results. It’s a learning process that’s always beneficial for those engaged in weight loss.”

Motivation would also come from attending regular workout classes. If you lack sufficient confidence to reach out to other people and make friends, a workout class would be a great place to start breaking out from your shell.

Good for the heart (literally)

Remember, there are two main exercise groups. You have anaerobic exercises and aerobic exercises. Bodybuilders mostly engage in anaerobic exercise to help build mass and increase the lean muscle percentage of the body.

However, if you were in it for the love of your heart, aerobics would be a great way to start. Aerobics can involves so many combinations of movements that you’re free to experiment at home. Some combine aerobic movements with boxing. Some combine dancing and Pilates.

Whatever your preference, remember to just keep moving. Aerobic exercise is all about losing weight, elevating the blood flow to all parts of the body and exercising the heart. If you want, buy a small music player and start brisk walking from your home to the local park and back again.

Doctors agree

According to the Thomas Blue, a practicing internist in London:

“Sedentary lifestyles are actually the number one killer of both men and women around the world. So many diseases could be avoided if people just got up and walked ten minutes everyday.”

Of course, modern ways of living have their own sets of backlashes. Since the advent of the telephone, people have mostly been dependent on the shortest and quickest ways to do things.

The real cost of efficiency are slower bodies that aren’t used to any form of prolonged physical work. However, do we have to suffer this? Not anymore.

Encouraging figures

Another benefit of being a member of an exercise group is that you feel more alive knowing that people have the same goals around you. Do you want to burn of more than a thousand calories in less than an hour?

If you enroll in an indoor cycling class, you can burn off that many calories in just 45 minutes. Not only will your muscular system improve, but your cardiovascular system will also strengthen itself.

Truth be told, a person has to exert effort at every turn. It’s not a retrograde approach to life, but rather, a progressive and healthy turn for the best.

Chris McCombs asked:


In the highly competitive world of health clubs, gyms, and spas today, it’s imperative to make marketing an integral part of your overall business agenda in order to achieve long lasting success as everyone is striving to be the best and attract the most members.

You’ll be able to jumpstart your own health club marketing efforts and increase membership sales with the following simple, but essential strategies.

Brainstorming

Never become complacent when it comes to marketing your health club, even if business is going swimmingly as it’s essential to stay at the top of the market when it comes to matters of the competition and what they’re doing to also remain up to date. Set aside some time each month specifically for brainstorming, asking staff members to participate and offer incentives for the best ideas.

The All Important Business Plan

No business venture, regardless of its nature, should ever be without a concrete business plan set in place. Even if you’ve been in business for many years and managed to get it off the ground and running without one, it’s never too late to write yours and start implementing what you’ve discovered you should have been doing all along.

Without a plan when it comes to health club marketing, it’s almost impossible to attract new clients and also keep existing ones happy.

Partnering Up

Unless you’re close enough to be rivals and are fighting for the same clients, consider partnering up with other health clubs or fitness spas, some of which may not offer the same services or equipment. Find a partner in your area that you can trust with the same business goals as you and share marketing strategies, offer package deals to members with discounts on dual memberships, and trade and share leads and referrals.

Putting It In Writing

Despite the proliferation of electronic communication, the written word remains an ever powerful medium that should not be overlooked when it comes to health club marketing. Brand your health club’s name and make it a part of the local people’s vernacular by advertising in newspapers, free local publications, magazines, and of course, by having a web site.

On your health club’s web site, include links and articles with helpful and factual information related to fitness as well as your staff’s qualifications, information about your equipment and services, as well as location and contact details, and the hours of operation. Send out newsletters to existing clients on a periodic basis via regular mail, and offer the chance to receive e-newsletters to prospective members visiting the web site, which should also have a separate place to list special announcements about any upcoming discounts and promotions.

Also, although it’s certainly true that some establishments are reluctant to advertise unless there’s no initial cost involved either by choice or necessity, it’s undeniably a fact that in some cases, you simply have to spend money to make money, whether it’s through marketing or outsourcing to give yourself more time to devote to expanding the business.

Health club marketing doesn’t have to cost an arm and a leg, provided your efforts are ongoing so that new clients will always be turning into paid members, offsetting the marketing costs.

By taking a calculated risk and monitoring your health club marketing efforts in terms of cost per sale, you’ll soon be able to see at a glance what works, and what doesn’t instead of wasting advertising or marketing dollars that would be better spent elsewhere.

Adrianna Noton asked:


You finally convinced the wife into letting you have your own fitness machines, but now you have to figure out what the best fitness machines for gym at home are going to be. There is quite a bit to consider and we are going to try and make the process a little bit easier. Let’s take a quick look at some concerns before we start shopping around for the equipment.

The first consideration is going to be how much space is available for the home gym. If the room that is used is nothing more than a small bedroom, the equipment will more than likely have to serve multiple purposes. There are quite a few great companies that make equipment that fit right into this category.

The next consideration is budget. When you know how much space is available, a general idea of how much can fit is pretty easy to figure out. Knowing how much money can be devoted to each piece of equipment will establish where to look and what to look at. While we will still be looking to save money, it helps to know what our maximum commitment is going to be.

Your own health is also a major factor because it will decide a lot of the types of equipment that can be used. For instance, someone that has recently had a spinal fusion will not be lifting free weights. They will be interested in more low impact workouts that will not put pressure on their backs. They would probably benefit more from a recumbent bike instead of a standard exercise bike.

There are some other things that will go into the exercise room that will also have to be considered and will come right out of your budget. Is there going to be a TV mounted on the wall? Do you want to have a water cooler installed? Do mirrors have to be put up on the walls? They seem like small things, but they will take away from the money that can be spent on the equipment.

Once all of these issues are settled, it is time to find the best equipment for your needs. The two options that are going to be available are new and used equipment. When looking at new equipment, the Internet will be a useful tool for comparison shopping. Whatever you do, don’t jump at the first piece of machinery that you find because you think it is neat. Continue to shop to make sure that you are getting the best deal.

A lot of times, used equipment that is in very good shape can be had for a fraction of the cost. Again, the Internet can point you in the right direction as many gyms will sell their equipment off through auction sites or online retailers who take a small commission. However, it may be best to actually see the equipment to make sure it is still in acceptable condition.

Putting together a home gym can be quite a challenge, but also a lot of fun. After all, there will no longer expensive membership dues and you will never have to wait to use a piece of equipment again. However, the flip side is that all of the excuses to not work out go right out the window so make sure you are committed to this project before spending all of that money on something that turns into a fancy coat rack.

Nicholas Tan asked:


How do you regularly stay fit, healthy and flexible? A hale and hearty diet of nutritious fruits and vegetables is the key as well as regular and continuous exercise.

The best exercise is one that you are really and sincerely going to be working out on, be it push-ups, stretches, jumping jacks or the regular jogging or the much tamer walking. However, there are people who prefer to work out using fitness equipment in their own homes.

The following are a few basic and important things to consider when buying those exercise equipments.

Do not believe what you see and hear

At least not everything, it is good if you assess all those claims exercise equipments declare in their advertisements. It is so hard to accept as true for example some statements that assure people that they will lose several pounds off their weight in as little as seven days or that you will decrease your pants size in one month. Even with the assistance of dietary supplements, it is not possible to accomplish changes as major as these in just a few weeks, much less days.

Fat Burner is a No Burner

Be skeptical about claims that say you will be able to burn a tremendous amount of fat in a specific area of your body, such as the hips, thighs, waist just by applying a specific type of ointment or lotion, etc. The only sure way to burn all those fat way is by changing what you eat. Exercise is the best solution to works out every area of the body whose fat you want to get rid of.

The only testimonial that counts is yours

Before and after pictures of people who claim that they were able to lose weight because of using such and such equipments may or may not be true. If ever they are, their experience is purely personal and that is no assurance that your unique body weight, body make-up will also undergo the same change they went through.

Read the fine print

It is always advisable to read the fine print of anything. Though you believe that the fitness equipment you are planning to purchase is a good one, reading the fine print really wouldn’t hurt as it may say that you also have to decrease your calorie intake and not just rely on what the machine could do for you.

Do the math

There are advertising statements that say you could pay off the fitness equipment in a number of easy payments or by paying a mere thirty nine ninety five a month. Do not forget to inquire about shipping and handling costs and include that in your calculation. Also, add-on the required sales tax, delivery fees, set-up fees. Know all the details before you purchase.

Guarantee the warranty

It is best that you consider asking about details on their thirty day money back guarantee. Though this could sound good to you as the consumer, it may or may not actually do you good if for example you are going to return the item. You may actually pay for the humongous shipping cost and it could cost you more than what you could guarantee to receive in thirty days.

Call customer service



Make sure you contact their customer service hotline. Usually, they have toll-free numbers that you must be able to easily contact as well as a customer service representative who must be glad to be able to take your call and answer thoroughly all or any questions you may have about their products and services.

Kasan Groupe asked:


Every overweight person has a million reasons why they can’t get fit and lose weight. Well it’s time to stop wasting valuable time making excuses or playing with those clay poker chips and drinking beer with your buddies. Instead you’ve to get up and start doing something for your health. To lose weight and get in shape you’re going to have to make some sacrifices and major lifestyle changes but you won’t regret it once you see the final result. Follow my tips and you’ll at least have the basics down and you’ll be primed for change.

First you must overhaul your current diet. This means no more McDonalds or massive bowls of pasta. Go to mypyramid.gov for helpful suggestions if you aren’t sure where to start. In general your diet should consist of nutritious foods that are low in calories in fat. You should eat plenty of fruit such as apples, pears and berries which contain antioxidants and fiber. Vegetables should also be plentiful in your new diet. Whole grains are also essential as they help to regulate your blood sugar levels which will help to stave off binge eating. Lean proteins should be a staple item as well.

Once you’ve mentally prepared yourself for your change in diet, you will have to start exercising as well. Take it easy at first if its been a long time since you’ve done any form of physical activity. You may even want to speak with you doctor before starting a new exercise regimen. But in general, for significant weight-loss you will need to workout five days per week for 45 minutes to an hour of cardio. You will also want to alternate days of weightlifting as well. Anaerobic exercise will not only give you more defined muscles, it will increase the strength of your bones.

Michelle Luke asked:


The owners of MAKE IT FIT™, an online fitness and wellness resource, are helping all Mississippians begin building healthier lifestyles in 2009 by donating their services for almost nothing. Principals Stacy Bick and Rebecca Johnson are offering all residents of the Magnolia state an annual membership to www.youcanmakeitfit.com for only 99 cents if they sign up during the hours of 8am to 8pm on Tuesday, January 6, 2009. Residents who log onto the site on “Make Mississippi Fit Day” and sign up for the virtually free membership will immediately have access to a large library of streaming fitness videos, podcasts, and printable workouts, along with other nutrition and weight management tools. These tools provide the user with an excellent opportunity to exercise at home, in the office, or on the road, all on their own schedule, with experienced fitness professionals.

“A membership to MAKE IT FIT™ is normally priced at $14.95 per month,” said Principal Stacy Bick.  “Offering it almost free to an entire state is an unprecedented event for us, but one we feel is essential to our ultimate goal of helping Americans improve their physical fitness and better manage their weight.”

“We are also offering the businesses and corporations in Mississippi a special discount for signing up for MAKE IT FIT™ Corporate plans,” said Rebecca Johnson, co-owner and principal of MAKE IT FIT™.  “We have unique corporate packages that provide an affordable way for companies to include MAKE IT FIT™ in their employee wellness programs, thereby keeping employees more physically fit and reducing costs related to productivity and healthcare.” 

The idea for “Make Mississippi Fit Day” stemmed from the recent news out of the Center for Disease Control ranking the Magnolia state as the heaviest U.S. state for the third consecutive year.

“We want to help the people who need our service the most, and what better time to do it than at the start of a New Year,” said Bick.  “We hope that all Mississippians who take advantage of our service will find it helpful in keeping them motivated to achieve those New Year’s resolutions to lose weight and live healthier lifestyles.” 

In the site’s Family and Travel sections, MAKE IT FIT™ members will also find ways to get their families active and to stay fit while traveling. These include kids’ programs, classes designed to be done in a hotel room and podcasts for “on the go” workouts. There are classes and workouts suited for all fitness levels, including currently sedentary or very overweight individuals. Early in 2009, MAKE IT FIT™ will add a structured Beginner’s Program that will guide those new to exercise through a several-month progression designed to help them gradually add more activity into their lives in a way that is suitable for their fitness level.

“The country is going through a tough time of national economic struggle which makes it difficult for many people to pay for a gym membership or hire a personal trainer to guide and motivate them through the uphill battle of weight loss,” said Johnson.  “We truly hope that we can reach thousands of people in Mississippi through this campaign to help them start off the year on a healthy note for a price that everyone can certainly afford right now.”

For more information on MAKE IT FIT™, visit the website or call (727) 415-4070. To take advantage of the 99 cent offer to all Mississippi residents, simply log onto www.youcanmakeitfit.com on Tuesday, Jan. 6, 2009 between the hours of 8am and 8pm CST and click on the Make Mississippi Fit Day link on the home page.

 

Gaby Munteanu asked:


Anaerobic fitness is the force component of fitness in general, which also contains at least two other essential components: aerobic fitness (the part of cardio-vascular resistance) and joint mobility. Speed and skill are native qualities and they are not very relevant for the health state – which is the main concern in mass fitness, the one meant to keep the body in good shape.

The purpose of anaerobic training programs is developing the force, the fortifying of the body or the muscular mass. There are situations when only force or muscle fortifying is intended. The typical example for these situations is given by the sports organized in categories, in which physical force (with the interdiction of going over a certain limit of weight) is tested. Growth of muscular mass determines increase of force and fortifying of the skeletal muscles. In this case, the fitness programs are very similar to body building trainings, without being followed by the spectacular, yet dangerous changes, specific to body building.

The purpose of anaerobic fitness is uniform, balanced and harmonious development of all the muscles, without ignoring their functionality. This last idea is important for making a clear difference between fitness and the tendencies, many times narcissistic, manifested by body building practitioners. The sportsman who takes up fitness wants to be able to and is able to do something with his muscles, more than showing them in contests or in different other occasions and places (disco, swimming pool, clubs, etc.).

One of the important characteristics of anaerobic fitness trainings is the use of general programs, during which all or almost all the muscles are worked out in one training session. In body building the programs are divided and trainings are focused every time on one, two or at most three groups of muscles; while in fitness one training can be focused on a certain area, but it does not exclude the other muscles, which will benefit, directly or indirectly, of at most one exercise for each group of muscles. This way, the programs are not excessively long; they take an average of one hour and fifteen minutes; thus the catabolic faze is avoided; this usually appears in very long training sessions (two hours or even more).

Another modality of reducing the time of training is doing super-series whose object is to train two antagonistic groups of muscles (chest and back or biceps and triceps, etc.). Thus, for each group of muscles must be performed a series of exercises, without a break in between; the break is taken only at the end of this double effort. The programs can also contain triple series or even giant-series (more than three exercises one after the other). The intensity of the training can be considerably increased: many muscles can be trained in a short time.

The weekly frequency of the training remains the same (three sessions); so the aerobic phase can be covered in the free days. If only three or even two weekly sessions are possible, mixed programs can be adopted: after the anaerobic fitness, always done at the beginning of the session, 15-20 minutes of aerobic fitness are added for balancing the two phases (anaerobic and aerobic). In this case, also, training must not take longer than one hour and a half; otherwise the phase of catabolic processes is initiated – a phase in which muscles ‘self-cannibalize’.

Anaerobic fitness is recommended to all somatic types, with specific differences of modality of training.

In the cases of ectomorphic and mezomorphic types, all the series (3 or 4) performed on the same machine must be finished, and then the machine and the group of muscles which is trained must be changed at the same time. This system is also called ‘workshop training’.

In the case of the endomorphic type (the overweight), circuit training is preferred: the group of muscles trained is changed after every series and the whole circuit must be repeated three or four times. This type of training consumes more calories because an aerobic component is introduced by not having breaks between series and slightly increasing the cardiac frequency.

Growth of muscular mass through fitness programs can’t exceed one weight category (5-6 kg), but they do not misbalance the other motion parameters.

Nikki Sabato asked:


Group exercise classes are a popular choice for staying fit. Group exercises enable people to bond with each other and the teacher. Group exercises also keeps the attention and focus of each person. The instructor can motivate the participants and can set a constant, fast or slow pace of the exercise. Below are three of the most popular group exercises today.

Zumba – Zumba is a group fitness, low or high intensity cardiovascular class composed of a variety of Latino-inspired dances including the rumba, the salsa, the cha-cha, the meringue, the Colombian cumbia and the calypso among many others.

Spinning – Spinning is another recently popular aerobic group fitness program that features a class of exercise bikers that exercise to music and a spinning instructor. Spinning classes combine a foundation of basic cycling movements with motivational coaching techniques, breathing awareness and heart rate training. It is said to be an excellent calorie burner. It is said to burn 600 calories in an hour. It is also considered a fun way to tone muscles and reduce stress.

Body combat- is an intensely energetic, cardiovascular workout to music that incorporates actions and stances from regular self-defense disciplines including Karate, Tai Chi, Kickboxing, Tae Kwon do, Capoeira and Muay Thai.

When promoting a group fitness studio, small print materials can serve as an effective medium. Small print materials include the use of flyers, brochures, booklets, catalogs, stickers, and large format poster and canvas prints. UPrinting can also be a valuable resource for exposure of the fitness studio online as they also maintain pages on popular social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter. When limited by a specific marketing budget, UPrinting offers bulk printing at reasonable rates with discounts. They also offer online discount coupons and printing tips through graphic printing blogs and review pages. Customers can easily place print orders through their website and choose from a variety of expertly-designed templates.