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Jeff Anderson asked:

So you’ve finally decided to put a check mark beside “Go to the gym” or some other version of it on your list of New Year’s resolutions from five years ago. Congratulations! Now that you’ve taken that all-important step, it’s important that you get the best out of your fitness workouts. Whatever your goals may be– sweating it out with exercises to lose weight quickly or targeting fast abs with intensive ab workouts—let’s clear out these three misconceptions that you might have about fitness workouts.

#1: For truly effective fitness workouts, you need to spend money.

The equipment and inspiration (from being surrounded with buff bodies and people determined to have buff bodies) afforded by a gym can ensure—not guarantee– success at achieving one’s fitness goals. I say can and not does because we all know that getting a gym membership does not guarantee success, and neither does home exercise equipment. There are many varieties of fitness workouts you can choose from that do not involve spending money. Outdoor activities like biking and running are perfect for outgoing people. Strength training and yard work are just a few of the many ways to workout at home. Decide on your fitness goals, know what exercises or activities to do and what is best to eat in order to achieve them, and download or modify some printable weight loss charts for guidance, and you’re good to go. At the end of the day, it’s your determination that will guarantee success, not expensive equipment.

#2: Fitness workouts are pointless if you don’t go on a diet where you eat as little as possible.

The fact is that when you eat too little in the effort to lose weight, your body considers this a threat to its survival and responds by storing more fat in order to survive. Also, once you decide that you can’t survive without food (surprise, surprise), you either start eating the usual amount of food or start eating more than you used to from having felt deprived of food during your period of ”insanity.” Either way, the body interprets this as a mere respite from the starvation and responds by storing even more fat than before in anticipation of another starve-fest. Now that’s when fitness workouts become pointless.

#3: The longer and harder you workout, the more muscles you gain.

The truth is that after some time, the body gets used to a workout routine and muscle growth reaches a plateau. At this point, your muscles will refuse to grow unless you introduce variation into your workouts. Also, training too long, too often, and too hard can actually cost you muscle mass. For instance, if you do mostly ab workouts every day, it won’t give your muscles time to heal, which they need in order to grow.

These are just some of the misconceptions people have about fitness workouts. There are many more, so don’t just take any workout-related advice that comes your way. Ask and learn. Making fitness workouts a part of your lifestyle is one of the best decisions you could ever make in your life, so it would pay to be as informed as possible.

susan brodnax asked:

When you’re overweight going to the gym can be a daunting task. It is embarrassing at times to walk into a gym at a hefty weight and all you see is toned bodies or ripped six pack abs staring back at you. It is scary and it turns overweight people away from the gym and over to the drive-thru on their way home. I know I have been there that is why I turned to a home fitness workout.

When I was on my weight loss journey the economy wasn’t in shambles as it is now however money was still tight. I didn’t really have the money to spend on a gym membership that I knew I wasn’t going to follow through with at least not at the weight I was at due to embarrassment. I didn’t have the money to hire a home personal trainer however I knew the only way to get rid of the belly fat was to eat right and move my body more. I knew I needed some sort of in home fitness program.

I started doing research to find the best diet and fitness information out there. I was looking for a total package of a balanced nutritional diet and a home fitness program designed to get me in shape and reduce belly fat fast. Like I said before I really didn’t have the money so I wanted a total package of diet and fitness and I wanted it for a reasonable price.

After extensive research I narrowed my results down to three options. All three of these top diet and fitness guides were written by home personal trainers and certified nutritionist. I dug really deep into each program and I found my solution to my ever growing belly fat (lost 82 pounds by the way).

I got the complete package of diet and nutrition to an in home fitness exercise program that was so easy to follow for a lower price than the cost for just one month of a gym membership fee. I spent tons of money over the years on abs contraptions to fad diets to gym memberships back in the day.

Once I put aside everything I ever knew about weight loss and all the crazy tactics out there and I got real I discovered the truth. The diet industry wants us to think there is something magic out there and the next big thing could work for you. Well that just isn’t true.

If you are tired of trying the new fad diet and you are tired of wasting your money on gym memberships you will never use and you are ready to get real and lose the belly fat for good I highly suggest you find a complete diet and fitness package like I did.

Following an in home fitness program designed by a home personal trainer who also provides diet and nutrition guidance is the best way to go. Not only do you get the complete package you really get your moneys worth and like I said it is much cheaper this way and money well spent towards your reducing belly fat goal.

Kirsten Hawkins asked:


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 days you don’t feel like dragging yourself to the club.

One benefit of working out at a gym is that you have trainers who can show you how to do the exercises correctly. People can “spot” you during some exercises, if necessary, and guide you in correct form and to avoid injuries.

Another benefit is that you will usually find a large number of exercise machines that you may not be able to afford yourself. If you tried to stock your basement or garage with the same equipment, you’d run out of space and spend thousands of dollars, to boot.

Downsides include the cost of a membership. While it can be costly, if you go as many times as possible/practical during your week, you lower the effective “per visit” cost. If your schedule doesn’t’ allow you to exercise during the time the club is open, it might be better to find another club or another mode of exercise.

Some people are intimidated about exercising in form of others and prefer the privacy of home. If you can move past this and realize that no one is watching you and that everyone looks just like you when they’re on the same machine you are, you’ll derive great benefit from a gym membership.

Try to find a health club as close to your home as possible. If you have to drive very far to get to the club, you’re likely to find less time to make the trip. You’ll find on cold winter days that it’s preferable to take a nap over driving to a gym and having to drive back home when you’re done.

Many gyms will allow you to come in and try out the machines for a few days before deciding on joining. This is a very good way of getting the “feel” for a place and seeing if you like the style of workout you’ll get. You’ll also be able to ascertain the mood of the gym and what sort of music they play, etc. This may seem like a small thing, but it can make a big difference in your workout and energy levels while there.

Another option is to find a fitness trainer. This person can help you do your exercises correctly and can also show you different ways to do exercise in case you’re in pain or pregnant. When looking for a trainer, you want to ask where they were certified (and check the certification paperwork). Look for someone with whom you feel comfortable. A good trainer will explain things and is patient as you learn.

Jasmine Stone asked:


Today, more and more people are becoming conscious of their figure. But because their so busy running their lives and their businesses, they don’t have the time for workouts. Although local gym membership is very accessible and provides all the needed equipments for workouts, still conflicts arise. It can include adjusting to the gym’s opening times, stress of traveling from your home to the gym, and pressure on the weather condition.

In case you are facing this difficulty, consider building your own home gym to achieve your fitness goals and keep you in shape. There are various ranges of exercise equipments you can utilize at home. Time and weather condition is not a problem anymore. You can do your exercises within your own set schedule. But the question is what equipments you are going to buy.

If you are starting out your venture, or becoming active again after a long break, it is advisable not to pursue your home gym. Instead you must enroll at a local gym within a short period of time. It can help you check out a number of fitness equipments available in the market today. You can ask your fitness instructor about its advantages and disadvantages and how these equipments can meet your fitness needs. Thus, you can list down the equipments that you will purchase for your home gym.

If weight training is your main focus, then the first step is to purchase a set of weights. You can buy free weights which are less expensive. The prices can be as low as 50 dollars or lower. But you need a combination of weights weighing 4.5 kg (10lb) and 9kg (20lb) which is a hand-held dumbbell with a bar. The end of this bar is replaceable with other weights for more flexibility. There are different types of bars. But it is up to you to choose whether you are going to use the plastic or metal weights. Metal weights are the traditional weights used even before but plastic weights are more modern and often are sand-filled weights.

You can consider weight machines if you want to workout specific groups of muscles including the biceps, deltoids, and quadriceps in a safer way. More over, free weights cannot provide good workouts for hamstrings and calves muscle groups. However, you need to pay the price of a weight machine. Costs and configurations may widely vary from a simple resistance machine, to an adjustable, multi-stationed weight stack. You can spend hundreds or thousands of dollars.

A stair stepper is another popular alternative. A simple stair stepper model can offer you a better cardiovascular workout and low impacts on your joints when exercising to build your calves and thighs. This machine is also a space saver and can cost from 80 to 150 dollars. A more complex stair stepper has adjustable speed, resistance level, speed, pedal distances and more. It also includes an HRM (heart rate monitor) as well as digital readouts for distance climbed, calories burnt, and speed. It can cost 1,700 to 2,000 dollars. Treadmills are good workouts machines too for your home gym. The prices depend on the types, models, brand, and features.

Building your home gym can cost you money. However, it is worth investing for to meet your fitness needs.