Important Tips To Help You Get More Fit

by Reader Contribution

When it comes to our overall fitness, most of us are not in the shape we want to be. As we grow older and start working, exercise takes a back seat to other important aspects of our lives.

However, no matter how busy you are, it is important that you make some time to maintain and/or improve your fitness.

If you are someone who wants to get back in shape, you've come to the right place. In the article below, you will learn a few key tips that will help you achieve your fitness goals.

#1 - Don't Overdo It

While not exercising at all is not good for you, exercising too much can be just as harmful. Often times when people start working out, they are extremely motivated. This may cause them to workout their body's too hard.

In order to make fitness gains, you have to let your muscles rest after each workout. As a general rule, you should wait a minimum of 48 hours before working out a particular muscle group.

This means that if you work on your leg muscles on day, you should give yourself at least the next day to rest before working your leg muscles again.

#2 - Stretch, Stretch, Stretch!

The importance of stretching cannot be overstated. Studies have shown that increased flexibility has proven to help promote more muscle growth and better overall fitness.

Now most of you who exercise regularly probably stretch as a warm up before you begin your workout. However, stretching your muscles AFTER you workout is when you will actually gain the most benefits.

Stretching while you cool down, when your muscle are already loose allows you to make the most flexibility gains.

#3 - Don't Workout Too Long

Ever see those people that just seem to live in the gym? They spend hours and hours on their workouts. While their dedication is to be commended, they actually are not being very efficient with their workout at all.

Studies have shown that workouts that last longer than an hour cause the body to produce cortisol. Cortisol is a hormone that blocks testosterone production and causes stress.

This means that you are actually making very little gains even though your workout will seem harder to you. Make sure to keep all strength based workouts under one hour.

#4 - Always Lift With Dumbbells First

When ever you are working your upper body with free weights, it is important that you start your workouts with dumbbells and then move on to barbell exercises. The reason is quite simply that Dumbbells require more balance and stabilization on your part so it is best to use them when you have all your strength.

Barbells require much less stabilization and machines don't need any stabilization at all so make sure to use this order.

With the tips mentioned above, you should now be able to workout effectively and efficiently. Make sure to use what you have learned and you are sure to reach your goals in no time.

Learn more in here about our lifetime fitness exercise guide

Warren Tattersall has been a nutritional consultant for over 30 years and has a personal interest in weight lifting toward reaching competition level.

If you would like to learn more about safe healthy ways to get fit, and about the natural supplements that I recommend and use myself, just drop me a line here and you'll get a free consultation ... CONTACT ME - no obligation, we'll just have a chat about your weight and health goals and the best ways you can achieve them while improving your overall health.

My Journey To Physical Fitness

At five feet, four inches, and 386 pounds, I was not the picture of health or fitness. Sure, I had had four children over eleven years, and gained plenty of weight with each, but that wasn't my only problem. I also ate way too much, and exercised way too little. Plain and simple.

I knew my life was in danger if I didn't get my weight under control, and get more physically fit. Below, you will find the plan I used to lose 140 pounds over a two-year period.

The Mindset

After you have been in the habit of slothful eating and living for over ten years, it takes a new mindset before you can commit to making necessary changes.

I decided what needed to be done, and over the following week, I prepared mentally for what I was about to embark on. I studied nutrition, planned a new way of eating, prepared my kitchen by throwing out the old, and bringing in the new. When I was done, I felt excited about what lay ahead.

Exercise Essentials

After doing some research about fitness and exercise, I agreed that walking would be a good starting point for someone as heavy as I was.

At first, I could barely trudge down the street in my neighborhood, but after a week, I was able to walk, if slowly, all the way around the block. This was a huge accomplishment for me!

Eating to Live

I had to get to a place in my life where I could eat to live, and not live to eat. Yes, it's a cliche we've all heard many times, but it is the truth.

I had been living each day, planning what I would eat next, choosing what sweets I would save for the end of the day, and eating fast food whenever I wanted.

I would now try my best to eat in order to stay alive. Of course I would eat food I enjoyed, but only what my body needed, and no more.

My Personal Food Plan

I think we can all agree that diets don't work. Most of us have fallen for the fad diet schemes, omitting entire food groups, such as carbs and fats.

I wanted a well-rounded diet that would make me healthier, while providing my body with proper nutrition. After some searching, I decided that a Mediterranean-style diet sounded like something I could stick to.

My version included a very large amount of veggies and salads. I roasted every vegetable I could find. I ate a moderate amount of fruit, small amounts of lean protein and fish and replaced a lot of my protein with beans, lentils, and other legumes.

For snacks, I ate small amounts of nuts, seeds and fat-free Greek yogurt with berries. I began to lose weight immediately.

Expanding the Workout Routine

After about two months, I had lost about thirty pounds. Then, I was able to begin working out at a local gym, using the cardio machines, and lifting some weights. I was starting to firm up in places I couldn't believe.

My Continuing Journey

I am not done with my journey. I still need to lose another hundred pounds or so. It may sound daunting to others, but to me, it's just living life in a new way, feeling better and losing weight as a result of that. I know it will happen!


Warren Tattersall has been a full time nutritional consultant for over a decade and works with people all over the world to help them improve their health, increase their personal energy levels and to use supplements to assist with diet related health issues.

Just send him a note on the form here - Contact Us - to request a personal no obligation one-on-one consultation with Warren

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