Home Exercise – What Equipment Do You Really Need?

If we want to lose some weight, or start a new exercise program, then joining a gym is a great idea. So we join up, pay our fees and buy all the gear, and then can’t seem to find the time to go! There’s always something else to do. Looking after the kids, take the dog for a walk and cleaning the house. Well, at least we are doing something healthy, as all those things count as exercise anyway! But it’s not enough is it? If we want a proper workout, we have to set aside some proper time. It doesn’t have to be an hour or more at a time– breaking it up into six sessions of 10 minutes is just as good and still gets us our 1 hour of exercise.

One problem most of us have is we don’t have a room we can use exclusively as a gym. We need exercise equipment that can be tidied away when it’s not in use, but is easy enough to set up when we do want to use it. Well thankfully, there is a good range of this sort of home exercise equipment on the market these days.

Cardio Exercise Equipment for Home Use

Cardio-vascular exercise is the type that makes you breathe hard and work up a sweat. Whichever cardio vascular exercise you choose, it should be done for a minimum of half an hour a day to give significant health benefits, but again, this can be broken up into shorter sessions if you prefer. Remember, though, that you will need to warm up and cool down each time to avoid potential injury or strain or just stiffness the next day. This means that a 10-minute session might include two or three minutes at the beginning and end when you are not working hard enough for it to count as cardio. For this reason you might find the most time-effective way to do your  cardiois in one session.

Stairs or a low bench can be used to do your cardio, with similar results to using a machine, but not all of us can put the strain on our knees that this usually entails. So a low-impact machine can be a godsend. Treadmills are lower impact than running on a pavement but elliptical exercisers, bikes or rowers are even better. Also, most of them also measure the number of calories you burn, which is a good incentive. Start off with a 10-15-minute session every other day to start off, and this will help to ease you into the habit. You will then find it easier to stick with it than if you start off to hard and fast.

Weight or Resistance Training at Home

In addition to the cardio, and to improve the look of your body, you will need to do some resistance training as well. You can begin this training without special exercise equipment, by using your own body weight, which is a safe option, as long as you are in the right position for all exercises. There is plenty of advice available on this online. Curls, the safe alternative to sit-ups, are great for stomach muscles. For the chest, arm and shoulder muscles, try push-ups. And leg lifts or squats are usually sufficient for most people to achieve initial strength improvements to the legs.

 

By combining these two forms of exercise, the cardio as often as you like, but having one rest day a week, and resistance work every other day, it won’t be long at all until you start seeing results!

Click Here To See Home Exercise Equipment At Amazon.com

5 Delicious Low Fat Smoothie Recipes

Is it possible for you to get all the vitamins, minerals, carbohydrates, proteins, fats and fiber that your body needs and still manage to lose weight?  The answer is yes, if you include low fat smoothie recipes in your diet.

 
If you are trying to lose weight you’ll find that low fat smoothie recipes not only help you shed pounds but they also provide protection against many major diseases including  high blood pressure and diabetes.  Not only that, they also offer a nutritionally balanced diet that is convenient and delicious.

 
Smoothie recipes for weight loss are low in fat but high in nutrition, flavor and texture.  Non-fat yogurt, non-fat milk and fresh fruits make a delicious treat that is healthy and guilt-free.  Below are some low fat smoothie recipes for you to try.

 
Banana Oatmeal Smoothie:
1 cup low fat milk
1/2 cup instant oatmeal
1 banana, peeled and sliced
1 cup orange juice
Combine ingredients in a blender.  Blend on high speed for 1 minute.
Have this smoothie recipe for breakfast.  It’s low on fat but packed with carbohydrates and protein to start your day right.

 
Honeydew and Watermelon Breakfast Smoothie:
1-1/2 cups honeydew melon, chopped
1-1/2 cups watermelon, chopped
1 cup low-fat yogurt, plain
1 cup ice cubes
Juice of 2 limes
Combine all ingredients in a blender and blend to the desired consistency.
A 16-ounce serving of this smoothie contains 3 grams fat, 35 grams carbohydrates and 3 grams protein.  One serving contains 350 calories.

 
Banana Blueberry Breakfast Smoothie:
2 frozen bananas, peeled and sliced
1/2 cup blueberries
1 cup plain yogurt
Place frozen bananas in a blender; add blueberries and yogurt.  Blend until you get the desired consistency.  Pour into a glass and drink immediately.
A 16-ounce serving contains 32 grams carbohydrates, 4 grams protein and 3 grams fat.  One serving provides 410 calories.

 
Low Fat Smoothie Recipes for Snacks:
When you need a snack or a low-fat dessert, grab a smoothie to satisfy your craving.  Try the low-fat smoothie recipes below.
Orange Cream Smoothie
1-1/2 cups frozen orange juice
1-1/2 cups chilled evaporated skim milk
8 ice cubes, crushed
Place all the ingredients in a blender.  Blend until smooth and frothy.  Pour into a glass and serve.

 
Tropical Smoothie:
1 cup unsweetened crushed pineapple, un-drained
1 cup papaya, peeled and cubed
1/2 cup unsweetened pineapple juice
1/2 teaspoon rum extract
Combine all ingredients in a blender.  Blend for 30 seconds.  Serve immediately.

Five Weight Loss Habits You Can Start Today

Are you trying to lose weight? If you are, you may want to know adopting some new habits can speed up the process. These are things that you can do to make losing weight faster and easier. Just a few changes in habits and lifestyle can make a huge difference.

Here are five great weight loss habits that you can start today.

1. Eat often.

It may seem strange to you, but if you eat more often you can help your body to burn more fat and lose weight. The trick is to make the correct food choices, and also to eat smaller portions.

If you have a tendency for three meals a day, then try eating 5-6 smaller meals. Ensure each meal has some protein, some fruit or vegetables. For an example, nuts make an excellent snack, as do apples or a piece of cheese. If you choose whole grains along with your fruit and vegetables, this will help to keep your hunger pangs at bay for a while.

2. Eat protein.

Protein keeps your blood sugar level steady, instead of the highs and lows you get when you eat starchy or sugary snacks. Your energy level will be even for longer and you won’t experience hunger cravings.

3. Drink water and green tea.

Many people mistake thirst for hunger, so drinking more fluids can help you to feel full. Water and green tea are also good for flushing toxins from your body. Green tea is well known for weight loss as it stimulates your metabolism, and it also contains caffeine which helps to suppress your appetite. Drinking green tea is an excellent weight loss habit to get into.

4. Walk .

If your body is moving then your metabolism speeds up. The more you move the more  fat you will burn. Experts have  recommended walking ten thousand steps a day, which works out to about five miles. If you walk a lot at work, and you  can squeeze in a few ten minute walks here and there in the course of your day, then you will make that target easily. Your also likely to find that you feel a lot better, too.

5. Lift some weights.

Muscle burns fat faster than other tissues, plus a strength training workout will burn a lot of calories, during your workout, and after. Add a strength training workout to your week or lift some weights for twenty minutes before you do your cardio workout and your weight loss will be faster.

Diet and fitness experts will tell you the best way to lose weight and keep it off for good is to change your lifestyle. You need to adopt healthy habits and get rid of the unhealthy ones. These five weight loss habits are a great place for you to start losing the weight you want to lose. And keeping it off for good.

Special eBook Offer

Hi Folks,

As a special offer for the forthcoming holiday period, you can now buy the eBook at a reduced price and receive along with it, completely FREE , the 8 page Special Report entitled  A New You – For The New Year.

This report is aimed at getting  your eating habits and fitness levels back on track after the excesses of the holidays. Focusing on setting goals and educating yourself on both your diet and exercise programs, this special report will have you back on track, being fit and healthy, in no time. And remember it’s yours FREE when you buy the Weight Loss Tips eBook ,which is also reduced in price for the holiday season.

So now you can enjoy yourself over the holidays, knowing that with the eBook and the special report, you will be armed with a plan of action to get you into shape in no time at all. Just click the eBook on the right, or on the Weight Loss Tips tab at the top of the page and you will be taken to the eBook page. Then all you need do is click on the Buy Now button and in a few minutes your eBook and Special Report will be with you.

Or easier still, click HERE.

Happy Holidays!

Do You Want a Firm Butt & Lean Legs?

Want to know the best exercises to firm up your butt? Want the best
interval training programs to burn fat from your legs?

Good, because I’ve got them here for you today! All thanks to Women’s
Health magazine contributor, Craig Ballantyne (he’s also designed
workouts for Shape, Prevention, and Muscle n Fitness Hers).

Back in 2004 Craig created a program called “Booty for Life” for a
personal client. And while that program was awesome, he spent an
entire week last month improving the workouts AND adding a brand
new 4-week fat burning, butt-firming phase to the program…

…and he renamed it, “Booty for Wife (& all the single ladies!)”.

Why did he rename and redo the program?

Well, the original name was a bit of a joke, and it was a little too
close to “Body for Life”, and Craig didn’t want anyone (i.e. Bill
Phillips) to get upset when his Booty program got really popular.

So he made a simple little name change…now he just has to hope
that Beyonce doesn’t sue him!

But seriously, and more importantly, Craig updated the original
program and added 3 new workouts & some booty-building exercises to
the plan, including:

- Lateral lunges
- 1-leg bodyweight deadlifts
- dumbbell lunges
- kettlebell swings
- dumbbell deep step-ups
- 1-leg bodyweight bench squats

Those go with all of the other booty exercises in the program,
including split squats, 1-leg hip extensions, regular step-ups, and
reverse lunges.

And Craig subbed in more bodyweight exercises so you don’t need to
use dumbbells as much for the rest of the workouts. Some of the new
exercises you’ll get are:

- Stability Ball Cross-Body Mountain Climber (great for abs/obliques)
- Close-Grip 3/4 Rep Pushups (awesome for sculpting your triceps)
- Stability Ball Pike (for hard-core abs)

Plus, you’ll get SIX different fat burning interval training
programs, and interval training has been shown to reduce thigh fat
in research studies.

Whew. There’s a lot in there for you, and to celebrate the re-release
of Booty for Wife, I’ve asked Craig to put together an amazing
special offer just for you.

You’ll get all of these for free…

1) The TT Booty for Wife (& all the single ladies) 12-Week Program
2) The TT Female Bodysculpting 4-Week Workout
3) 30-Days in the TT Member’s Website & Forum
4) The TT for Hot Chicks 4-Week Workout
5) The NEW “TT Bodyweight Cardio 3″ Workout

…when you get your half-price copy of the Turbulence Training for
Fat Loss Program for only $19.95.

(That’s $10 less than if you were to buy Booty for Wife on its own!)

So you could get Booty for Wife for $29.95 or you could get Booty
for Wife plus Turbulence Training plus all of those other bonuses
all for only $19.95.

I think that’s an easy choice, don’t you?

Click here to get this amazing special offer today:

Booty For Wife

Plenty of time to sculpt that booty before you hit the beach on your
next holiday.

By the way, just listen to this incredible feedback on the program:

“I just finished section 2 of the Booty for Wife series. I feel
strong and super fit and I’ve gotten so many compliments lately
that I know it has to be the program! I start the 3rd section
tomorrow and it looks tough and I can’t wait. I know that in 4
weeks I’m going to be amazed at myself. And, I am so looking
forward to doing the chin ups. I hoping I can do at least one to
start and by 4 weeks I want to be doing 5 or more. This is a really
great 3 month program and if you haven’t tried it you really
should.”
- Debbie D., TT Member

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