February 5th, 2009

9 Fitness Rules You Should Break

woman-doing-sit-ups-nc

By Steve Mazzucchi, Women’s Health

Unlike wine, cheese, and Clive Owen, workout strategies don’t get better with age. That’s because each year, fitness researchers release thousands of studies that challenge conventional thinking—or at least shed light on ways to tweak it. We’ve identified nine stale fitness approaches and sifted through the latest research to come up with surprising updates that will land you a scorching body ASAP.

  1. Position your hands shoulder-width apart (moving your hands in or out a little will stress different parts of the muscle)
  2. Crunches for a flat belly (try pilates)
  3. Squats=a perfect bum (try hip extensions; kneeling on the groung raise your heel toward the ceiling)
  4. Eat lots of extra protein for less jiggle and more tone (don’t eat to much; we need about 20% of our calories to come from protein.  Protein is also hard on kidneys)
  5. Up-down-up-down. Repeat. (pause during your move; use a slow cadence
  6. Watch yourself in the mirror while you work out (use an unstable platform and get a better workout; no time to look in the mirror)
  7. Burn the most calories with cardio (a hard workout will burn as many calories as cardio)
  8. Rest between sets (rest after your workout; be intense and efficient)
  9. Weigh yourself daily for motivation (forget the scale; watch your clothes and measurments)

Source: MSN

Dr. Wegmann

Dr. Michael Wegmann's Thoughts:

drmike Exercise is one of the most important habits you can form. Millions of Americans are overfed and under worked. Making exercise a part of your routine is challenging at the beginning. Nothing easy is rewarding; we need a challenge to be satisfied. So quit making excuses about your time, your knees, or why you can't do it. Make getting in shape easy. I find it interesting that most people have junk food in their house which is easy to get, but when it comes to working out they make it a huge ordeal. They have to get in a car drive across town, go to a gym, shower, and return home. Make exercise easy. The gym lifestyle is good for many people. Be honest with who you are. Can you see yourself working out at a gym for 10 years? If not, it's time to invest the money you would spend on a membership into some good home equipment.

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