You’ll be pleased to know that joining a gym isn’t as intimidating as you might think!

The gym can both motivate you and provide you with effective tools to help you create the body you desire. In addition, there are other important benefits that you can glean from your gym membership, including greater physical fitness, increased self-confidence, a more exciting social life, and fun!

Physical Fitness

The most obvious and noticeable benefit of a gym membership is the improvement you see in the mirror. If you stick to a sensible workout plan, your arms, legs, and abs will look more toned in a few short weeks. You’ll be able to run longer distances without becoming short of breath. Plus, you’ll have more stamina and physical strength to tackle the stresses of everyday life.

Increased Self-Confidence

Beginning a workout routine in the gym can be overwhelming. It’s important to be patient with yourself while you’re settling into a regimen that works best for your body. As you progress, however, the success you experience will boost your confidence and make your trip to the gym something you look forward to each day.

The more you work out, the better you’ll feel about your gym membership. Instead of dreading your workout, you’ll actually crave it (as crazy as it sounds!). Instead of pain, you’ll feel exhilaration as you look forward to your next trip to the gym.

As your physique improves, your self-image will become more and more positive. You’ll feel more comfortable with your body and less nervous about being around others at the gym.

More Exciting Social Life

As you look in the mirror and see the progress you’re making, you’ll also feel more attractive and eager to partake in social activities. If you’re shy because of your looks, your improved physical fitness and self-confidence will help you overcome your shyness.

You’ll be able to connect more confidently with others you find interesting. It’ll be easier to start conversations with strangers who might become lifelong friends. Your physical appearance will support your social goals, rather than standing as an obstacle in the way of your social life.

Having Fun

Joining a gym is a surefire antidote to boredom. A gym membership gives you access to state-of-the-art exercise equipment and tools that will inspire you to dream big dreams. The progress you experience will motivate you to continue working out instead of sitting on the couch and on the sidelines.

With so many equipment and workout options available at your local gym, you can vary your workouts to keep things fresh. Your workout can always be new and exciting. Varying your workouts challenges your body in different ways, also, which increases the effectiveness of your workout.

A gym membership affects much more than your physical appearance. Working out regularly at a gym can help you to create the physical body you deserve, while increasing your self-confidence. Your social life will improve, and you’ll experience a lot more fun in your workouts and in your life. So what are you waiting for? Why not give a gym membership a try?

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Conversations keep your mind sharp. Physical games keep your body active and fit. For a balanced lifestyle that promotes your happiness, include activities with others that keep you sharp physically and mentally.

Staying Mentally Fit This Summer

Summer is a great time to be outside. But when the rain comes or the temperatures become too hot for outdoor activity, summer provides you with a chance to relax and develop your mind instead.

When your body is physically worn out from the longer days and physical activity of summer, go inside for mental games that challenge your creativity, focus and concentration. That way, your mind will experience the same summer growth and renewal as your body.

When the heat of the day gives way to the nighttime sky, play games with friends around a campfire. Relax on the beach under the stars. Enjoy stimulating conversation with those you love about the things that are important to you. Whether at play or rest, you’re never far away from an opportunity to learn and grow.

Not sure what you can do to increase your mental fitness this summer? It’s easy to forget some of the mentally challenging activities you have available at this time of year. Here are a few life-giving choices you might not have considered:

• Go shopping with friends for games to play together.
• Debate an issue that you’re passionate about. (No need to fight, though!)
• Ask others to share something that’s important to them.
• Talk about any aspect of life that you deem important.
• Discuss the potential existence of an afterlife.
• Learn something related to science together.
• Take a class to learn a new skill or a new language together.

The key to making the most of this summer is to take advantage of the social opportunities around you. Stretch your imagination and act as if it’s impossible for you to fail. The fitness and happiness you desire can be yours if you take full advantage of the companionship of others in the warm summer heat.

Balance Physical Activities With Mental Inspiration

Summer is the season to be physically active in the outdoors. Beach volleyball, running, and playing in the park are popular activities that get your heart pumping and your body moving. But slowing down once in a while is important, too.

A picnic with friends, for example, can provide stimulating conversation that keeps your mind sharp and active while giving your body the rest that it needs to thrive. The key is to balance activity for your body with relaxation and mental stimulation.

Spending time with others allows you to learn more about them and connect with them on a deeper level than you ever thought possible. Seek opportunities to share your summer with others. If you do, you’ll continually improve physically and mentally. You’ll also develop deeper and more meaningful relationships with the people you care about most.

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You will find the greatest success if you choose lifestyle changes that you can live with in the long term. For instance, if you love carbohydrates, it’s not likely that you’ll stay on a low-carb diet for long. In this situation, modifying your carbohydrate intake to an amount you find reasonable may work just fine for you.

These tips will help you eat nutritiously without feeling like you’re dieting:

1. Cut portion sizes. Cutting your portion size, instead of altering what you eat, is always an option. It’s easy to forget what a healthy portion actually is, which may lead many people to eat more than they intended. Try eating a bit less and use smaller plates to make it seem like your plate is still full. You’ll still feel satisfied while eating less!

2. Eat slowly. You don’t want to eat your meals at a snail’s pace, but it does take some time for your body to send signals to your brain that your stomach is full. If you’re eating slowly, you’ll get that message in time before you overeat.

3. Eat more often. Experiment with dividing your meals into smaller sizes and eating more often. Eating smaller meals more often can keep you feeling full and energized and you may end up eating less.

4. Drink plenty of water. You already know that water is vital to life. Water will also help you feel full. Drinking a glass of water prior to eating a meal helps you feel full sooner.

5. Be mindful when eating at restaurants. Sometimes you’ll find that you have healthy eating habits at home, but it might all go out the window when you’re eating out. Restaurants are notorious for adding in extra salt, butter, and utterly ridiculous portion sizes. Either choose something that you know is healthy based on the nutritional facts, or split up your meal and take half of it home for tomorrow’s lunch.

6. The calories you drink add up. When you’re calculating the calories you’ve eaten for the day, it’s easy to ignore all the calories in your drinks. If you’ve had mostly water, then it won’t be an issue. However, if you’ve stopped at Starbucks, or had fruit juice or a soft drink, you might find that you’ve had a whole meal’s worth of calories in just one drink.

7. Maintain moderate exercise. Exercise is important to your overall health and well-being. If it’s hard to add time for an exercise routine to your schedule, remember that every bit of activity helps. Walking around the block, parking further out in the parking lot and taking the stairs instead of the elevator can give you some great exercise without taking up too much extra time.

Being healthy doesn’t need to take a huge effort on your part. You can get there by being aware of your body’s unique needs. Listen to your body and treat yourself right, and your weight goals are sure to follow.

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It doesn’t have to be this way! You probably remember having lots of good times when you were younger that involved quite a bit of strenuous activity. At the time, you didn’t even realize that you were doing something healthy for your body because you were having so much fun.

Instead of forcing yourself into boring exercise routines, you can recapture some of those good feelings of your youth by seeking out activities that help you burn calories and shape up while having fun.

Try these ideas for fun ways to get in shape:

1. Hula hoop. You can work out whatever sets of muscles you want with a hula hoop. They now make special hoops that are balanced with weights for different parts of your body. Before you know it, you’ll be toned and in shape and you’ll have had fun in the process.

2. Jump rope. Jumping rope has many health benefits. It also gets invigorating very quickly. You may find that you’ve burned 100 calories in only 10 minutes while jumping rope.

3. Fly a kite. If the weather is right, you can exercise just by flying a kite. It’s a great activity to try, especially if you have kids to enjoy it with you.

4. Dance. Even if you think you don’t know how to dance, or have no natural rhythm, dancing can be a lot of fun. You can sign up for a class or just get crazy in your own home. Let yourself loose and you’ll find that you’re burning calories in no time.

5. Go for a ride. Go for a ride outside and enjoy the scenery. The trick to this technique is that you won’t be using a car. Ride a bike, rollerblade, or try skateboarding.

• These activities are often more fun than just walking around town. However, if you’re the type to enjoy a good walk, that’ll certainly benefit you as well.

6. Take up gardening. Gardening is another activity that you might not associate with staying fit. The truth is that it’s a very beneficial activity. In gardening, you focus on the yard and plants, instead of the fact that you’re exercising, which makes it fun.

7. Swim. While this activity might not be available to you year round, it’s good for you to take the opportunity to do it when you can. Swimming is excellent exercise, and you can get creative so you never have the same swim twice.

Yes, getting in shape can be a lot of fun. As long as you’re moving, you’re exercising and burning up calories. Use these exercise tips as a springboard for your imagination and you’ll never run out of ideas for a fun way to exercise again!

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How many times have you gone to sleep at night, swearing you’ll go to the gym in the morning, and then changing your mind just eight hours later because when you get up, you don’t feel like exercising?

While this can happen to the best of us, it doesn’t mean you should drop the ball altogether when it comes to staying fit. What people need to realize is that staying active and eating right are critical for long-term health and wellness — and that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. The more you know about how your body responds to your lifestyle choices, the better you can customize a nutrition and exercise plan that is right for you. When you eat well, increase your level of physical activity, and exercise at the proper intensity, you are informing your body that you want to burn a substantial amount of fuel. This translates to burning fat more efficiently for energy. In other words, proper eating habits plus exercise equals fast metabolism, which, in turn gives you more energy throughout the day and allows you to do more physical work with less effort.

The true purpose of exercise is to send a repetitive message to the body asking for improvement in metabolism, strength, aerobic capacity and overall fitness and health. Each time you exercise, your body responds by upgrading its capabilities to burn fat throughout the day and night, Exercise doesn’t have to be intense to work for you, but it does need to be consistent.

I recommend engaging in regular cardiovascular exercise four times per week for 20 to 30 minutes per session, and resistance training four times per week for 20 to 25 minutes per session. This balanced approach provides a one-two punch, incorporating aerobic exercise to burn fat and deliver more oxygen, and resistance training to increase lean body mass and burn more calories around the block.

Here’s a sample exercise program that may work for you:

* Warm Up — seven to eight minutes of light aerobic activity intended to increase blood flow and lubricate and warm-up your tendons and joints.

* Resistance Training — Train all major muscle groups. One to two sets of each exercise. Rest 45 seconds between sets.

* Aerobic Exercise — Pick two favorite activities, they could be jogging, rowing, biking or cross-country skiing, whatever fits your lifestyle. Perform 12 to 15 minutes of the first activity and continue with 10 minutes of the second activity. Cool down during the last five minutes.

* Stretching — Wrap up your exercise session by stretching, breathing deeply, relaxing and meditating.

When starting an exercise program, it is important to have realistic expectations. Depending on your initial fitness level, you should expect the following changes early on.

* From one to eight weeks — Feel better and have more energy.

* From two to six months — Lose size and inches while becoming leaner. Clothes begin to fit more loosely. You are gaining muscle and losing fat.

* After six months — Start losing weight quite rapidly.

Once you make the commitment to exercise several times a week, don’t stop there. You should also change your diet and/or eating habits,’ says Zwiefel. Counting calories or calculating grams and percentages for certain nutrients is impractical. Instead, I suggest these easy-to-follow guidelines:

* Eat several small meals (optimally four) and a couple of small snacks throughout the day
* Make sure every meal is balanced — incorporate palm-sized proteins like lean meats, fish, egg whites and dairy products, fist-sized portions of complex carbohydrates like whole-wheat bread and pasta, wild rice, multigrain cereal and potatoes, and fist-sized portions of vegetable and fruits
* Limit your fat intake to only what’s necessary for adequate flavor
* Drink at least eight 8-oz. glasses of water throughout the day
* I also recommend that you take a multi-vitamin each day to ensure you are getting all the vitamins and minerals your body needs.

Enjoy life, we all deserve it.

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