Tag Archives: fitness

Going Healthy, Going Strong, Health, Life, Lifestyle

5 Benefits of a Home Gym

1 Comment

To have a gym at home will offer many benefits. We shall explore many of them in this article. Accordingly, if you are considering sourcing gym equipment online, you might want to take a look at websites like Motion Fitness Store. This is somewhere you can pick up treadmills and fitness bikes. Both will provide you with an indoor workout that will more than compensate for not being in a paid-for gym or running across an outdoor space in all weathers.

Cost-Effective

Home gyms are a great option when you are on a tight family budget. This is because instead of paying regular gym fees for the whole family, you can share gym equipment that you have only had to buy once.

Save on Travel

It takes time to travel as well as costs money. We could also have put it in the section above for this reason. For some, time is money. For others, lost time is an inconvenience. We all live busy lives and so do not want to waste a minute of it.

Home gym equipment is in place whenever we want to use it and simply a room away.

We Can Exercise at Any Time

Gyms are only open at certain times, whereas a home gym can be available 24/7. That is assuming a loved one is not on the piece of gym equipment that you want to use. However, to avoid that you can have a range of exercise machines that you both alternate between. A little time on each is the way to go anyway.

Because exercise should be carried out regularly and for minutes at a time rather than hours, it is ideal for doing at home. Any equipment that we are likely to need is online. Even professional athletes will source their training gear online.

We Can Choose Our Equipment

With a home gym, we get to choose the exercise equipment that we feel comfortable with. On the advice of our doctor, we can use the gym equipment that will benefit us.

For some, light exercise might be advisable, whereas others will want more of a vigorous cardio workout. We should always build up to whatever we do. This is particularly important when weights are used. We should begin with the lighter weights and then progress to heavier ones when we want to tone up our arm or leg muscles.

A variety of gym equipment will allow us to improve our overall health and tone specific muscle groups. We might miss having a personal trainer to guide us, but not when we consider how expensive they are. Instead, keeping to our family budget, we can find online tuition to guide us to the best way to exercise. We could buy a fitness DVD and exercise along with that. Nothing needs to cost as much money as it has.

To help accommodate our home gym equipment, we could send some of our surplus items into self-storage units. That would free up a whole room. Perhaps we could make more use of attic, garage, or shed space, or simply double-up furniture for another use.

Privacy

The one big thing about exercising at home is that you can do it in complete privacy. You do not have to exercise alongside strangers who you view might be judging you. As a family, we can set personal goals and motivate each other. It is good to be involved in activities as a family and not to have others around that are not part of our family unit.

Many celebrities will have home gyms for security reasons. They do not want to be swamped by fans or photographed by paparazzi for simply making their way to the gym. Once inside, they do not want to be hounded for autographs. We can be that celebrity. Why not have that same privacy? We can live in the same luxury because the cost of a home gym is entirely affordable and possible with just a spare room that nobody is using.

Above then, are the 5 main benefits of home gyms. There is no reason not to try the home gym option when it can work out extremely cost-effective and prove convenient as a long-term fitness option. Gym equipment does not require that much maintenance, and once bought it is in position for use whenever you feel the urge, or regularly to keep up fitness levels.

Going Healthy, Going Strong, Health, Lifestyle

Pain After a Workout? Common Medical issues You Might Have

Leave a comment

Image Courtesy of Pixabay

On average, only a quarter of people exercise enough. But whether you are a dedicated athlete or an avid walker, you can experience pain after a workout. Even walking can strain muscles, and your lifestyle can exacerbate issues. Nevertheless, strains and inflammation are common, and fortunately, you can relieve most problems with simple care and attention.

Heel and Foot Problems

Feet are designed to take the pressure of your body’s weight. And although they do the job very well, they often succumb to injury as a result. The bones of your feet can become stressed and muscles inflamed. Additionally, you may experience various types of heel pain. But what does heel pain mean? Well, it can mean a number of things, such as:

  • Heel spur syndrome
  • Stress fractures
  • Bursitis
  • Achilles tendinitis
  • Sever’s disease
  • Haglund’s deformity

All of these issues are common, yet they are treatable. For example, if you find you constantly have severe pain in your heel after a workout, there may be more going on than simple strain. Fortunately, you can consult a licensed orthotics expert for guidance, advice, and treatment.

Musculoskeletal Strains

Some of the most painful injuries are those to the musculoskeletal system. They result from sudden jerking movements that damage the nerves in most cases. It results in pain in the ligaments, muscles, bones, and tendons. Generally, the pain is localized to one area that undergoes repeated strain, such as the shoulder when lifting weights. The pain associated with these injuries can be debilitating and take months or even years to heal. Therefore, a gentle exercise regimen such as water aerobics, swimming, and walking is recommended until the pain has completely gone. Also, if these exercises don’t help, it is wise to go for surgery to ease the pain. If you are worried about the procedure or the after-effects, make sure to read on to find more information to make a trusted decision.

Back Damage

Your back will be put under some strain during almost all exercises. The intensity of the strain will depend on what you are doing. In the beginning, you will feel stress in your back if you perform repeated strenuous exercises such as sit-ups and heavy weight lifting. To prevent this, you should wear the necessary back support. Already existing back problems can also worsen. Those with related back pain may benefit from sciatica tape. Nevertheless, you should avoid exerting too much pressure on the area if you suffer from severe back problems.

Inflamed Muscles

Muscle soreness is almost certain to accompany your back pain, and aches and pains are unavoidable with exercise. However, you will soon become accustomed to muscle soreness if you regularly exercise with strenuous routines. Also, after spending most of your life sedentary, you might experience great pain if you start exercising for the first time. But it’s important not to give up when you experience pain. Cold and heat can soothe the aches. Cold decreases swelling and inflammation, while heat loosens tissues and facilitates blood flow.

Lack of Essential Vitamins

Not eating correctly is a significant cause of low energy and concentration. A poor diet will produce deficiencies of vitamins and minerals like A, B, C, and D. However, the human body also isn’t great at absorbing certain nutrients. And people with medical conditions can also have issues absorbing much-needed nutrients. However, insufficient vitamins and minerals can result in pain. For instance, a lack of D vitamins will cause muscle soreness and weakened bones and nerves. Apart from eating a balanced and nutritious diet, you can try multivitamins and supplements to boost your intake.

Going Healthy, Going Strong, Health, Lifestyle, Tips

The Steps You Should Follow Before Starting a Workout

2 Comments

Taking part in a fitness workout is a great way to improve your health, and though it sounds like a popular pastime to many people, actually starting the workout is easier said than done. Many people will already have a good idea about which activities they would like to participate in, so the next step for them will be to think about the steps needed to start their workout.

From looking for the perfect pre-ride snack if your chosen exercise is cycling, to gathering the right equipment if you are playing rugby or football, knowing where to start can be very beneficial to the success of your workout.

So, let’s learn more.

Eat a Healthy Snack

One of the first things that many people decide to do before starting a workout is to grab a healthy snack. This is because it helps to give your body the fuel it needs to complete all of your workout without experiencing any difficulties. Everyone knows that your desired workout will lead to your energy levels taking a hit, but eating a healthy pre workout snack can provide you with enough energy to complete it.

Sports such as cycling, for example, require someone to use a lot of energy because it is a strenuous activity that requires you to use different parts of your body at the same time. Furthermore, taking the time to ingest a healthy snack , that has energy boosting properties beforehand, will not only give you increased motivation to achieve your goals, but will also mean that your endurance performance will be heightened too. Even if you don’t feel like eating, this is something that you should definitely consider doing. You will feel better for it afterward.

Gather Your Equipment

As well as gathering any balls, sticks, or posts that you need for your activity, you also need to think about your workout gear. Exercising isn’t a fashion show and what matters more than anything is your comfort level. At the end of the day, you need to be comfortable because if you’re not comfortable, you will find it much harder to complete your workout. The most important piece of clothing you need to consider when exercising is your shoes. If you are a runner, you need to find shoes that are designed to be run in and not shoes that are meant for cyclists or hikers. Similarly, if you’re into deadlifting, you will need lifting gear such as wrist straps and a lifting belt from Turtle Strength Australia. It really is that simple.

As well as your fitness gear, if you know you need certain pieces of equipment, be sure to get that in plenty of time before your workout. For example, if you are joining a local football club, you need to make sure you have football boots, shinpads, and maybe even Kinesiology Tape to help support certain areas of your body. This is because some clubs might not provide this, but you will expect them to provide the footballs and goal posts.

So, if you’re trying something new for the first time, preparation is key.

Consider Your Fitness Level

Regardless of your age or gender, everyone will have varying fitness levels. Because of this, you need to make sure that you don’t compare yourself to others, as there is a very high chance that you won’t be able to match them in terms of fitness. By knowing what your own fitness levels are, you will be able to design a workout program around these levels to ensure that you are meeting any goals and targets that you have in mind.

Not only that, but accurately assessing where you are fitness wise will allow you to measure any future progress you make since you started. Seeing how far you have come in your fitness journey will provide the motivation you need to continue pushing forward in order to meet your long term goal. There are many guides you can follow to determine how to assess your fitness level before starting your chosen fitness regime.

Everyone should strive to live a healthier life. It may come easier to some than others, but the most important thing to bear in mind is that you shouldn’t give up. There is something out there for everyone, and once you have found a workout that brings you happiness, and more importantly, results, it will become increasingly easier to work toward any targets that you have.

Before you know it, you will be a fitness expert, and you will be able to reflect on how far you’ve come with joy and satisfaction.