Time is in short supply for almost everyone these days but it’s still important to include physical activity throughout your busy day. Most people believe that to get a good workout, you must exercise for thirty minutes or more without stopping or else you don’t get anything out of it. Wrong! Research proves that short, intense segments of activity spread throughout the day are just as effective as one long workout, so there are no more excuses about not having enough time. Everyone can spare at least five minutes somewhere and there are brief workouts that challenge your whole body in that amount of time. To get you started, here are some fantastic workouts that really only take five minutes!

Workout 1: Fast and Furious Cardio & Conditioning Work

Have hand weights nearby and ready to use.

0:00 – 0:30: Warm up by briskly walking in place.

0:31 – 1:00: Increase the pace to a power-walk speed.

1:01 – 1:30: Keep walking and add a simple overhead reach by raising your arms straight up with every two steps.

1:31 – 2:00: Change the arm movement to reaching in front and then pulling back. Continue walking.

2:01 – 2:45: Pick up the hand weights and perform as many bicep curls as possible while you continue your walk.

2:46 – 3:30: Change the movement to pushing the weight directly overhead and then lowering as you keep the pace.

3:31 – 4:00: Put the weights down and slow down to your original pace.

4:01 – 4:30: Perform as many squats as you can by sitting back and keeping your heels pressed into the ground.

4:31 – 5:00: Walk slowly as your breathing and heart rate return to normal.

This workout increases your heart rate quickly and conditions the cardiovascular system with the high speed of walking in place. Using weights for arm work while you walk maintains the aerobic work while you build muscle at the same time. By gradually slowing down, you allow your body to return to a normal state slowly but still fit in muscle toning by doing squats. The steadily decreased demand on the body allows the body to stabilize comfortably. By combining aerobic conditioning with muscle toning, you get twice the benefits in one brief workout – what could be better?

Workout 2: Steady Muscle Work

0:01 – 0:30: Warm up by walking gently and moving your arms at the same time.

0:31 – 1:00: Begin working the lower body muscles by doing as many squats as you can for thirty seconds. Make sure your body is properly aligned with your knees forming a right angle with your thighs and your back staying centered over your buttocks. Keep your heels pressed into the floor for support as you slowly lower and raise the body.

1:01 – 1:30: Stand up straight with your feet slightly wider than shoulder-width. With hands on hips, lower your body into a pliè and then raise for as many repetitions as possible in thirty seconds. At the end of the time, lower your body one more time and hold.

1:31 – 1:45: Stay in your lowered pliè position and move up and down very gently, no more than an inch or so. This helps isolate the inner thighs and tone them up.

1:46 – 2:15: Stand with your weight on your left leg, point your right foot behind you, and lift your right leg as many times as possible in thirty seconds. This helps tone the muscle at the back of the leg.

2:16 – 2:45: Switch legs, stand with your weight on your right leg, and lift your left leg behind you as many times as possible in thirty seconds.

2:46 – 3:15: Stand up straight with feet shoulder-width apart and then bend from the waist until you are slightly more than at right angles with your lower body. Stretch your arms in front of you and then raise each arm back. Repeat for thirty seconds. Be sure to hold your abdominal muscles in tightly. This tones the arms and upper back as well as the abs.

3:16 – 3:45: Stand up straight and place hands at shoulders. Begin reaching arms up and bringing back down to shoulder height. Repeat for thirty seconds.

3:46 – 4:15: Drop to the floor on hands and knees, and then ‘walk’ your hands forward several inches. Begin performing modified push-ups and do as many repetitions as possible.

4:16 – 4:30: Lay on your back, knees bent, with arms behind head and fingertips just touching the back of the head. Use your abdominal muscles to pull your upper body towards your knees but not too far. Lower down slowly for maximum muscle building.

4:31 – 5:00: Still lying on your back on the floor, stretch legs out and raise arms above the head, inhale deeply and stretch. Let your breath out slowly and let your body relax.

This workout focuses on building muscle and strength all over. The variety of exercises works dozens of muscles all over the body for an overall toning effect. Switch between the two workouts for maximum results in your weight and muscle tone.

There are a hundred lots of home fitness equipment nowadays that are sold in the market. Do not make the mistake in buying something and then regretting why you bought it after a day or two. Home fitness equipments vary and you should always have one good reason to buy it. Don't believe on everything commercials tell you about the equipment. Some equipment may seem easy to use on television but n fact will not really work for you. Try to ask yourself first of these questions before you grab your wallet and buy that equipment.

Do you need it? The equipment should suit your interests and needs. The activities that you will do with that equipment should be challenging and something to enjoy on. Buying equipment is never a guarantee that you will use it especially if it is something new that makes it harder to use. Make sure that you already know the equipment and that it is something that you already tried in a fitness club. Start from buying small equipments that are aligned to your interests.

Can you afford it? Don't be fooled with the thought that you will be forced to use something because you spent too much money for it. Expensive equipments are never an assurance that you will use them or that they are effective for you. Always consider how much are you willing to pay for certain equipment. Also ask yourself iif it is worth it. Always check on the quality before you buy equipment. The price may be too low but consider that the quality can also be low. Or it may be expensive but then the quality is not that good. You can try choosing on cheaper alternatives but not sacrificing the quality of the equipment.

You may also want to check out for some used equipments. Most of the time, this is where you find a better deal. You can even find equipments that do not seem to have been used at a very low rate. Or you can find the equipment 3 months old but the price is almost half the original.

Do you have enough space for it? This is often what buyers forget to consider. Try to consider first where to place a treadmill before buying it. Before you buy something, make sure you know where you will place it. Your place may not accommodate the equipment. Plan ahead and make sure that the equipment can be placed in your home without causing any hassle.

Is it safe for you? If you have existing conditions, be sure to check with your doctor to make sure that the equipment will be safe for you. Some equipment may be painful to use and might cause harm to your body. So make sure to try it first be fore you buy it.

It also suggested that you first consider if a gym near you already has that equipment. You can save money by just registering to that gym and use that equipment compared the price you will spend if you will buy that product.

Buying fitness equipments should be bought with consideration. Do not buy by impulse. Always ask the opinion of a professional gym instructor before you buy something.

Shaping and toning the waistline is one of the top areas of concern for both men and women of all ages. Go to any gym and you’ll see dozens of people lining up for belly dancing, crunch classes, and anything else that promises to shrink your waistline fast. The fact is that shaping and strengthening any part of the body always takes time and you typically have to wait two to three weeks before you can tell any real difference. The waistline in particular can be a challenging area to tone, but if you stick with it you will see results.

Most people want their waistlines to be slimmer for appearances’ sake, but the government is concerned about waistlines for an entirely different reason. Several independent scientific studies over the past few years have shown that men with a waist measurement greater than 40 inches and women with a measurement greater than 35 inches are at increased risk for heart disease and stroke. Think about it that way and it becomes even more important to slim the waistline down and keep it toned.

Shrinking your waistline should be addressed with a two-pronged plan: diet and exercise. It’s not much use to spend hours working on the waist if you go out and eat a burger and fries afterward. The most successful programs to shape up the body address both exercise and food intake to increase the odds of success. When you’re talking about slimming the waist, there will be some measure of fat reduction involved and that requires exercise as well as the proper diet to fuel your body and avoid empty calories that lead to more fat. You can see that in order to get the best results you need address more than one area; hence the exercise and diet approach.

Thinking about diet, there’s not really a need to go on any specific diet to see results. Simply maintain a healthy diet that incorporates plenty of vegetables and fresh fruit as well as adequate protein and unsaturated fat. Keep a food journal to track your meals and exactly what is going in your mouth and body every day. This can be a powerful tool to identify problem areas and cravings. One thing you may want to avoid while working on the waistline is too much fiber. Since fiber is bulky, it fills the stomach up faster but it can also lead to bloating. To have the flattest stomach possible, avoid eating too much fiber without pairing it with plenty of water or fresh fruit to help move it through the system. Also cut back on sodium to avoid bloating from water retention. The typical adult diet contains more than 3500 mg of sodium – over one thousand milligrams more than the recommended daily allowance. Smart people will cut back on sodium not just to avoid bloat but to decrease risk of high blood pressure and kidney disease.

You’re eating healthy and keeping a daily journal to track your food intake. Now what? It’s time to think about cardiovascular exercise! There are some cardio exercises that are better than others for toning, but if you have fat around the middle you need to lose that first before concentrating on toning and shaping the muscles of the middle. Excellent activities that promote weight loss are swimming, brisk walking, and interval training. Swimming is among the highest calorie-burning activities because of the way the water supports your body. Since your muscles don’t have to split attention between keeping your frame upright and moving you forward, they will expend more effort (calories) in propelling you through the water. Swimming is also great because water requires a greater effort to push against it and move forward, requiring greater effort from muscles. Thus you burn a larger amount of calories and fat.

Brisk walking is also good for burning calories but try to stay away from flat surfaces and instead walk in hilly areas that will surprise and challenge your muscles. You duplicate that effect by using a treadmill that has an adjustable incline. Some treadmills have programs that replicate walking in a hilly area and adjust the incline throughout the workout to strengthen and tone more than one area. Include arm movements with your walk and you boost your heart rate and metabolism, firing more calories in the process. Interval training is a good choice as well because of the amount of calories you can burn during a workout. It can incorporated with brisk walking whether you’re at the gym or on the street; simply make sure your strength training equipment is nearby so you can switch from cardio to strength training quickly and easily.

Burn the fat away from your middle and you’re halfway to having the waistline of your dreams. The last step of the successful waistline shrinkage program is to work the waist with toning exercises. Performing sit-ups is a time-honored method of firming the stomach but won’t really make your waistline any smaller. Instead, try a hula-hoop (seriously!) or take a waistline-focused class from your gym. Belly dancing is also great for slimming the sides and can burn a fair amount of calories, but don’t let it take the place of your regular cardio workout. Cover all your bases with diet, exercise and toning, and before you know it your waistline will be slim and trim!

5 Ways Seniors Can Enjoy Daily Exercise

First they tell you that you have to exercise at least 90 minutes a day, five days a week, and then they tell you that it has to hurt. This no pain, no gain mentality is somehow meant to inspire us to work our bodies so hard that we are sore and stiff the next day. For seniors who already have pain that they are trying to heal, the prospect of purposefully adding more pain makes exercise seem like a bad joke. The idea that we should feel pain after we exercise may be good for military boot camps that want to build up soldiers, but as seniors, there should be a way to work around extreme exercise.

Yoga

Luckily, many doctors and fitness enthusiasts are beginning to support seniors in the re-done, no pain, no pain attitude. They are finding that seniors who are expected to add pain to a lifestyle that may already incorporate chronic pain is an unreasonable expectation. Yoga, for example, purports that no one is supposed to feel pain during any of the postures. In other words, a posture done within a person’s abilities will not be painful. Activities like walking and dancing are being suggested as a beneficial, painless way for seniors to stay fit as well.

Swimming

Swimming is another activity being recommended for no pain, with gain. Being in the water relieves muscle tension, pain and swelling from arthritis, and lets the body perform resistance exercise with little tension on the joints. It is still possible to overexert you or feel sore the next day, but the water makes the chances for a successful and painless workout much more possible. Hospitals have even built swimming pools or co-opted with gyms for pool use time because swimming is such a painless way for seniors and those in physical therapy to regain or grow strength.

Gym

There are a few ways to make sure that you are in the right environment to engage in a no pain with gain workout. Professional gyms which have certified instructors are a great place to start. Senior classes are on gym calendars everywhere. Silver Sneakers offers classes made specifically for seniors at various levels of fitness and ability. Many instructors will also offer modifications for exercises. If the modification information is not readily available, ask the instructor or fitness manager for it. As long as your doctor has approved the activity or class, the instructor should be able to offer ways to keep pressure off the knees and wrists, or recommend alternate exercises for those using walkers or wheelchairs. Wellness centers and weight rooms should have personal trainers on hand that can recommend the proper weight for circuit training and lifting weights. If a fitness instructor does not have this information, then reconsider taking a different class or going to another gym.

Dancing

Besides finding places which can offer the proper modifications for their classes and machines, finding something enjoyable which you like to do and that is physical will also diminish the pain philosophy from a wellness attitude. If you pick a physical activity which you consider fun, you are not likely to associate it with a need to create discomfort. Dancing should end the night with you feeling rejuvenated and exhausted by the fun, not the pain, you experienced. The only potential drawback to doing something that we enjoy is that we tend not to think directly about how much we are working our bodies when we feel good. Try to keep tabs on how your body feels throughout your activity or workout. Remember that you are going to be the first person who will know when it has been too much.

Walking

Taking a little walk can do wonders. Not only will it revive you but may motivate you to continue exercising. As gentle as the new workouts are, a little soreness can still result from any physical exertion. Counteracting soreness with some yoga or stretches will take away some of the kinks, especially when they are more pronounced in the morning. Drinking plenty of water before and after a workout also does plenty to keep sore muscles away. Water helps to breakdown the lactic acid that builds up as you build muscle. Outside of drinking water, a relaxing, warm bath can alleviate any soreness until your body gets accustomed to your new pain-free workout.

Having a strong healthy body isn’t just about looking good; it’s about taking care of the one body you will have for the rest of your life. It’s important not only to develop your cardiovascular system and stay at a healthy weight, but also to build muscle strength all over the body to help support the skeleton. Upper body strength is key because of all the everyday tasks and demands we place on our arms, shoulders, and back. When your muscles are weak, you are more prone to aches and pains as well as potential injuries. The best way to protect your body from injury as well as diseases like osteoporosis is to strengthen the muscles and bones. Fortunately it’s easy to do that and with regular workouts you can see results in just a few weeks. Take the initiative to care for your body and it will thank you by developing a strong healthy system.

When you are considering beginning a training schedule for upper body strength, you should consider a few factors such as your age, health, and current strength level. If you are new to exercising and haven’t really done any strength training before, it’s best to start out at the lightest weight that’s comfortable to you and work up from there. More experienced exercises can better assess their own strength and decide what works. If you are older than 60 years of age, you may want to consult with your doctor to determine the best fitness program for bone and muscle health with the least amount of risk.

If you belong to a gym, ask a trainer to show you around the weight room and identify each machine and its use. Using weight machines can be a wonderful way to work your upper body but it’s important to understand how they work first. Weight machines can be difficult at times, especially if you need to change the weights and have never done so. If you need to use a machine that you don’t understand, ask a trainer or friendly nearby guest to give you a quick run-down. You may also want to consider arranging a private session with a trainer to help you get off on the right foot with your workout program. Trainers can also give you a general plan to follow to build strength over several months and that can be invaluable if you plan to go it alone at the gym.

For home exercises, you will need to invest in a set of weights that ranges from 3-10 lbs. You may require heavier weights later down the road, but this is the perfect set for beginners because of the range. Many discount stores sell a full set of weight with storage rack for $25 or less, so this shouldn’t be terribly expensive. Set up your weights in the room that you plan to use for working out. Keeping them in the same place is important so that you get into a habit of using them, but don’t put them somewhere that you rarely go. Out of sight, out of mind, is the rule for home weight lifting. If you don’t see the weights, you’re not going to think about using them. Many people ask about weight benches and barbells. Those are great accessories and can be very useful in a home gym, but for beginning weight lifters there’s really no need unless you simply want to buy them. Once you have bought and set up your weights, it’s time to plan your schedule. Locate a calendar and using the schedule below, mark down the days you will work out in a brightly colored ink to make it stand out. Writing down your workouts seal the day in your mind so that even if you don’t see the calendar that day, you still remember you’re supposed to be doing something.

The following schedule is a sample one-week program for the beginner level. Rest days are scheduled in to allow muscles adequate recovery time. Warm up muscles by walking briskly in place for two minutes while swinging arms gently. Rest no more than two minutes between sets.

Week 1

Day 1

Set 1, Bicep Curls: With arms at sides and elbows held firmly against body, hold weight comfortably in hand and raise for 5 counts; lower for 5 counts. Repeat for 2 sets of 15 repetitions.

Set 2, Lateral raise: With weights in hands, hold arms at 90-degree angle with weights in front. Slowly raise the elbow directly upward; then lower. Repeat for 2 sets of 10 repetitions.

Set 3, Overhead press: Hold weights in hands and rise to shoulder height. Slowly press weights overhead until arms are not quite fully extended; slowly lower. Repeat for 2 sets of 15 repetitions.

Set 4, Lateral fly: Hold weights in hands; raise arms up and open to the side. Bring weights together in front of the body; slowly open and bring back to sides. Repeat for 2 sets of 10 repetitions.

Day 2 – Rest & Recovery Day

Day 3

Set 1, Forward press: Hold weights in hands and bring up to chest height. Slowly push weights forward for count of 5; bring back for count of 5. Repeat for 2 sets of 12 repetitions.

Set 2, Tricep raise: With weight in right hand, lift straight overhead and then slowly lower backward until the elbow is at right angle. Lift to original position; repeat for 2 sets of 10 repetitions. Repeat on left side.

Set 3, Shoulder fly: Hold weights in hands at sides; with palms down, slowly lift up until just below shoulder-height; slowly lower. Repeat for 2 sets of 15 repetitions.

Set 4, Hammer curls: With weights in hands, turn palms facing each other. Lift weight up almost to arm; slowly lower. Repeat for 2 sets of 12 repetitions.

Day 4 – Rest & Recovery Day

Day 5

Set 1, Backward lift: Hold weights in hands and turn palms facing behind you. Lift arms behind you as far as possible, hold for count of 5, then slowly release. Repeat for 2 sets of 10 repetitions.

Set 2, Alternating punches: Hold weights in hands and raise to shoulder height. Beginning with right hand, press weight straight forward and slowly bring back; then repeat with left hand. Repeat for 2 sets of 10 repetitions for each side (20 total).

Set 3, Upward row: Hold weights in hands; step forward with one foot and lean forward. Extend arms downward, keeping the back straight; lift weights slowly as though starting a lawnmower in slow motion. Repeat for 2 sets of 12 repetitions.

Set 4, Angled Bicep curls: Hold weights in hands with elbows tucked against body. Angle arms slightly out to the sides; slowly raise and lower the weights. Repeat for 2 sets of 12 repetitions.

Days 6-7 – Rest & Recovery Days