If you have always exercised then continuing to do so after the age of 40 should be no big deal. Your body will be accustomed to the strain and stresses of exercise and therefore should be able to cope with familiar workouts with relative ease.  However even seasoned exercises that have trained since their youth need to be aware that biological changes are taking place. Up to 70% of total energy expenditure comes down to your basal metabolic rate. After 40 this begins to decline linearly with age, around 1-2% per year. The cells of the body also age resulting in muscles and tendons having ..read more

What is Core Stability? Core stability should not be confused with ripped abs or a 6 pack. Core stability actually refers to keeping our bodies stable and balanced, allowing us to perform every day tasks and movements without harming our spine or its surrounding muscles and tissue. Therefore it includes much more than the muscles in the abdomen and actually involves the spine, the muscles of the stomach, back and hips and the nerves of the core working in harmony. Why is Core Stability Important? The core is involved in nearly every movement the human body makes from vacuuming the carpet, maki ..read more

Whatever you do never jump into a rigid exercise regimen without the proper build-up. Not if you want to avoid knee trouble. 400,000 knee replacement procedures are preformed each year in the U.S.A. alone. If at all possible, you will want to avoid this by learning to take better care of your knees. Knee injuries from overuse are avoidable if people take precautions. But the people who get them are those who start a workout programme because they’re trying to lose weight and they try to do too much, too soon, too fast. Knee injuries can strike middle-aged people, extremely active teen athletes ..read more

Exercise Bikes v Treadmills The two most popular pieces of fitness equipment are treadmills and exercise bikes. In deciding between the two, you should compare long-term sustainability, the effectiveness of the workouts, and safety. Think About The Boredom Factor Having a home fitness gym is more convenient than going to the gym. However at home there are far more distractions that can prevent you from sticking to your routine. Therefore you need to make the workout fun, so you actually look forward to your workout. The computers can certainly help and the mo ..read more

There is no getting away from it; a serious runner needs a serious treadmill. If you class yourself as a serious runner then you are going to have to spend a little more on a treadmill than the average leisure runner or those who want to use their treadmill as a basic fitness tool. You need to take the following into account when looking for the best home Treadmills if you are a serious runner: Speed: Will it go fast enough for you? The average top speed is 10mph on most home treadmills, that’s a 6-minute mile but some go much faster. Running Belt: Is it long enough to accommodate your stride ..read more

1 Avoid Muscle Loss On average adults who do not strength train lose between 2 and 3.5kg of muscle every 10 years. Although cardiovascular exercise is great for fitness it does not prevent loss of skeletal muscle tissue. Only strength training can maintain your overall muscle mass and strength throughout your mid-life years. 2 Avoid Metabolic Rate Reduction. Muscle is a very active tissue. If you lose it you also suffer a reduction in your resting metabolism. The higher your metabolism, the greater your potential for burning calories, resulting in the perfect weight management system. An adult ..read more

If you really want to lose weight but have no idea how to start, fear not. Below is a 15-point incentive plan that will hopefully help you on you way. Our experience fitness team at Fitness Options can you start in the right way. 1. Before you do anything get a clear definition of what weight loss means to you. How much weight do you want to loose? Are you trying to loose weight for a special occasion? Is a toned look your goal? Getting specific, but being realistic, about what you want to achieve is the first step to weight loss success. 2. This next step is probably the most import ..read more

Can so call cholesterol-lowering foods actually lower your cholesterol. New study says it can but its not any easy route. The results come from a six-month trial carried out by researchers from the Clinical Nutrition and Risk Factor Modification Centre in Toronto, Canada. 345 people were chosen who had high cholesterol but no risk of heart disease, did not have diabetes or was on cholesterol lowering drugs. They were split into two groups. One group was separated into two sections; the first section had intense counselling involving dietary advice on the consumption of cholesterol lowering foo ..read more

Even for the busiest person, 5 minutes is not a lot of time. It’s a small enough amount of time that pretty much anyone can put aside. So what would happen if we all added 5 minutes to our regular workouts? Just 5 minutes – it doesn’t seem like much, but it’s a step that doesn’t seem overwhelmingly difficult, and therefore we’re more likely to commit to it. So what difference can 5 minutes make? * 5 minutes on the stationary bike with a moderate to vigorous effort can burn about 50 calories. * Running at 5.2 mph can burn about 55 calories. * Stationary rowing at a moderate pace can burn about ..read more

Having a home gym used to be as simple as buying an exercise bike and sticking it in the corner of the basement. But as Americans place more emphasis on fitness, they are digging deeper into their wallets for state-of-the-art home gyms. Sales of exercise equipment jumped from $4.4 billion in 2005 to almost $4.7 billion in 2006, according to the Sporting Goods Manufacturers Association. Many Americans are now prepared to spend over $7000 on just one piece of equipment. That kind of price is becoming more reasonable to people accustomed to the high-end equipment in commercial gyms, said Kerri O ..read more