So you know you are suppose to do something active everyday, whether it is hitting the gym, or going for a walk. Doing something consistent everyday creates a healthy lifestyle. But what about for those time you just can’t get out to door to a gym? You need to stay home with the kids, or it’s raining, or you frankly just don’t want to leave the house. Here is a quick workout you can do in your home using no weights-just your body! This workout is taken from Men’s Health magazine.

This workout contains doing certain exercises in intervals. Below are the exercises that you will do, one after another, during the workout:

• Prisoner Squats-Stand with your hands behind your head,. Sit back at the hips and bend your knees to squat down. Squeeze the glutes and push back up. Do 10 reps per set.
• Jumpies: Crouch down as if playing the catcher position in baseball. Then in one quick motion, explode up and jump up with your arms extended. Land softly back down in the crouch position. Repeat 6 times.
• Single Leg Romanian Deadlift-stand on one foot. Keeping the arch in your spine, push your hips back and lower your hands. Press your heels into the floor to return to standing. Do 6 reps with one leg then 6 with your other leg.
• Lunge: Take a large step forward with one leg. When your front thigh is parallel to the floor, hold for 2 seconds and return to an upright position. Repeat with the other leg. Alternate 6 reps for each leg.

Do each exercise (with the specific reps mentioned) one time straight through, then rest for 60 seconds and repeat. Do a total of 2 sets and stretch your legs.

It is important to remember that this workout is very leg intensive. Make sure you are not planning any big cardio days 1-2 days after this, and plan on doing this workout twice a week. If done right, it will produce great strength, power and tone in your legs.

Every single person in the world dreams of having great looking abs. Even those who already have a great set, wish they were better. Little do people know that good looking abs are not only appealing, but reveal a healthy life as well. A good set of abs shows a lot about a person’s health and fitness. Think you can’t get abs like a model? Well now you can! There is a program that just came on the market that I think everyone should read. The Truth About Abs is a book by Mike Geary that is taking the market by storm.

Below is an article contributed by Mike Geary, the founder of TruthAboutAbs.com. I thought this was an important topic to share with you because the reality is that most people simply don’t realize how dangerous their excess abdominal fat really is to their health.

The Hidden Dangers of Your Excess Abdominal Fat – It’s More Serious Than a Vanity Issue!

by Mike Geary, Certified Nutrition Specialist, Certified Personal Trainer

Did you know that the vast majority of people in this day and age have excess abdominal fat? The first thing that most people think of is that their extra abdominal fat is simply ugly, is covering up their abs from being visible, and makes them self conscious about showing off their body.

However, what most people don’t realize is that excess abdominal fat in particular, is not only ugly, but is also a dangerous risk factor to your health. Scientific research has clearly demonstrated that although it is unhealthy in general to have excess body fat throughout your body, it is also particularly dangerous to have excess abdominal fat.

There are two types of fat that you have in your abdominal area. The first type that covers up your abs from being visible is called subcutaneous fat and lies directly beneath the skin and on top of the abdominal muscles.

The second type of fat that you have in your abdominal area is called visceral fat, and that lies deeper in the abdomen beneath your muscle and surrounding your organs. Visceral fat also plays a role in giving certain men that “beer belly” appearance where their abdomen protrudes excessively but at the same time, also feels sort of hard if you push on it.

Both subcutaneous fat and visceral fat in the abdominal area are serious health risk factors, but science has shown that having excessive visceral fat is even more dangerous than subcutaneous fat. Both of them greatly increase the risk your risk of developing heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, stroke, sleep apnea, various forms of cancer, and other degenerative diseases.

Part of the reason visceral fat is particularly dangerous is that it apparently releases more inflammatory molecules into your body on a consistent basis.

If you care about the quality of your life and your loved ones, reducing your abdominal fat should be one of your TOP priorities! There’s just no way around it. Besides, a side-effect of finally getting rid of all of that excessive ugly abdominal fat is that your stomach will flatten out, and if you lose enough stomach fat, you will be able to visibly see those sexy six pack abs that everyone wants.

So what gets rid of extra abdominal fat? Is there actually a REAL solution beyond all of the gimmicks and hype that you see in ads and on commercials for “miracle” fat loss products?

The first thing you must understand is that there is absolutely NO quick fix solution. There are no pills or supplements of any sort that will help you lose your abdominal fat faster. Also, none of the gimmicky ab rockers, rollers, or ab belts will help get rid of abdominal fat either. You can’t spot reduce your stomach fat by using any of these worthless contraptions. It simply doesn’t work that way.

The ONLY solution to consistently lose your abdominal fat and keep it off for good is to combine a sound nutritious diet full of unprocessed natural foods with a properly designed strategic exercise program that stimulates the necessary hormonal and metabolic response within your body. Both your food intake as well as your training program are important if you are to get this right.

I’ve actually even seen a particular study that divided thousands of participants into a diet-only group and an exercise/diet group. While both groups in this study made good progress, the diet-only group lost significantly LESS abdominal fat than the diet & exercise combined group.

Now the important thing to realize is that just any old exercise program will not necessarily do the trick. The majority of people that attempt getting into a good exercise routine are NOT working out effectively enough to really stimulate the loss of stubborn abdominal fat. I see this everyday at the gym.

Most people will do your typical boring ineffective cardio routines, throw in a little outdated body-part style weight training, and pump away with some crunches and side bends, and think that they are doing something useful for reducing their abdominal fat. Then they become frustrated after weeks or months of no results and wonder where they went wrong.

Well, the good news is that I’ve spent over a decade researching this topic, analyzing the science, and applying it “in the trenches” with myself as well as thousands of my clients from all over the world to see what works to really stimulate abdominal fat loss.

The entire solution… all of the nutritional strategies, as well as training sequences, exercise combinations, and more have all been compiled in my Truth About Six Pack Abs Program.
Keep in mind that the point of this whole program is NOT abdominal exercises (that is only a very small portion of it). The main point of this program is showing you the absolute most effective strategies for losing your stubborn abdominal fat, so you can get rid of that dangerous health risk, as well as get a flatter more defined midsection.

If you follow the guidelines, you WILL lose your belly fat that has been plaguing you for years. This is not guesswork… it is a proven system that works time and time again for all of my clients on every corner of the globe that actually apply the information I teach. If you apply it, the results will come. It’s really that simple.

The only reason most people fail in their fitness goals is that they have good intentions at first to adopt a new lifestyle, yet after a few weeks or months, they abandon their good intentions and slip right back into their old bad habits that gave them the excess body fat in the first place.

I want to help you succeed in finally getting rid of that extra abdominal fat that is not only UGLY, but also DANGEROUS.

Don’t waste another day allowing that nasty abdominal fat to kill your confidence as well as contribute to your risk for MAJOR diseases.

Get the solution to rid yourself for life of this problem at…

http://www.truthaboutabs.com/

Train hard, eat right, and enjoy life!

Mike Geary
Certified Nutrition Specialist
Certified Personal Trainer
Author – The Truth about Six Pack Abs

Click Here! to check out this program.

Recumbent Vs. Upright exercise bike: Which is the best?The gym is a scary place. Not only do you have people scrutinizing you already, but there is a plethora of options when it comes to cardio. One choice is the stationary bikes. There are 2 versions: an upright bike, which is more like a conventional bike, and recumbent, which are seated bikes.There really is no difference in cardiovascular effect when it comes to these 2 options. The best option for you is based on your needs anatomically.The back support on the recumbent bike is thought to make the ride more comfortable. But only a person with a back that is highly sensitive to any forward lean whatsoever would find the standard upright bike uncomfortable.People with back problems should be careful on a spinning bike. Dropping the handlebars too low so that you have to bend over at your waist is a recipe for back strain, especially when climbing at hard intensities in the seated position.For all bikes, the best back position is one where the handlebars are as high as possible. If you do need to lean your upper body forward, sit tall as you do so. Hold your ribcage lifted to engage your core muscles for support, and to maintain the natural curve in your lower back—a slightly arched, not rounded, position.Many people simply hop on a bike without adjusting the seat to accommodate the extension of their legs as they pedal. For knees, it’s crucial to keep your seat high enough on an upright bike, or far enough on a recumbent, so that you’re legs almost fully straight when you reach the farthest point in the revolution (but avoid locking them rigidly straight). If you are too close to the pedals, your knees stay flexed as you pedal. This position is more stressful to the knee joint, especially if you are “climbing,” or cycling with resistance.For your home gym, consider these stationary bikes:

I found this article on the fitness section of MSN.com. I love the fitness and health section of MSN. They have some great writers and great information. This is what they wrote about working out for beginners.

1. Go slow and steady

Surprise: Panting and wheezing reduces your odds of success. An Iowa State University study found that overweight women enjoyed walking more at a pace they chose than when researchers bumped up the intensity even 10% over that speed. Pick a level that feels good and you’ll be more likely to exercise regularly.

2. Keep it low impact

Less stress on joints helps to avoid injuries, especially if you have a lot of weight to lose. Try walking — it’s easy, affordable, and great for your heart and waistline. Swimming, cycling, and elliptical training are also good joint-friendly options.

3. Inch up

Gradually Start with 10 minutes 3 or 4 days a week, then increase your time by 5 minutes each week until you’re clocking at least 30 minutes per session.

4. Listen to your body

Fatigue, burning in your muscles, and slight breathlessness are normal. But gasping for air, dizziness, fainting, nausea, and sharp or shooting pain are signals to stop exercising and check with your doctor. To make over your body, remember the story of the tortoise and the hare. Baby steps work!

Check out the health section of MSN and browse their articles. You will not be disappointed.

If you do not know what you are doing, the gym can be a very scary place. People watching you, staring at you as if you are a rookie. You feel they can sense it, and you feel intimidated. This should NOT be a reason for you to skip out on the gym. All it takes is a little knowledge on how to work out, and on what machine. If you go into the gym with a knowledge of exactly what you want to do, you already have a boost of confidence that will show through to everyone else. You need to develop a work out plan that is best suitable for you. Below is one that is very basic. It consist of lifting 3 days a week. It is a starting point. You need to start somewhere. Check back at a later date, or subscribe, to get more intense workouts that you can do.  By swapping push/pull muscles, you allow time for the push muscles to rest, while you are working pull, and vice versa. This limits fatigue the next time you life the muscle group. Choose a weight you can lift 12-15 times. Do 3 sets of 12-15. Remember, choosing the right weight is key. Do not choose a weight that is too heavy at first. The last thing you want to do is look like a rookie by attempting to put on too much weight then having someone dead lift it off of you. Lift a weight you are sure you can complete the first time. It is much easier to go up weight, then down.

Day 1: Push Muscles-Chest, triceps, shoulders.

• Bench Press
• Tricep extensions
• Shoulder Press
• Incline Press
• Dips
• Lateral Raises

Day 2: Pull Muscles-Back, Biceps, abs.

• Lat pull downs
• One arm curls (alternating arms)
• Swiss Ball Crunch
• Seated Rows
• Preacher Curls
• Reverse Crunch

Again, this is a very basic work out regime. You can definitely add more if you feel like working out a longer time. It is best to get in and get out, but some feel them must stay longer. If you do not know what any of these exercise are, please e-mail me and I will gladly send diagrams and a better explanation.