Saturday, June 9, 2012

Key Workout Tips For Beginners.......

Let me tell you, it takes lot of dedication, willpower and patience to develop the kind of hot and Wow Types body . Along with this, you also require a lifelong commitment of time and effort. Here are a few easy tips which would help you to workout easily.

  •  Have high quality shoes and avoid your self from getting hurt.
  • Make sure that you are wearing comfortable clothing.

  • Consult a doctor-If you have any medical conditions, injuries, illness, diabetes, hypertension or any Heart Illness, its better to check up with your doctor before you start lifting weights.

  • Start of slowly-Doing too many exercises too early can lead you to unexpected injuries. So make it a habit to start gently with a simple exercise and gradually increase the amount you do.

  • Plan your diet-The most essential thing while starting a fitness program is food. Try to understand how different kinds of food can affect you in different ways. I mean to say, understand what happens to you when you consume one bowl of chicken compared to a bowl of raw veggie.

  • Choose a right gym which is well equipped and hygienic.

  • Find a good trainer who can motivate you to work hard.

  • Exercises alone will not work- To be fit you need to follow a good diet. The combination of a healthy diet and exercise are very essential to be fit.

  • No workout when you are tired- Do not workout when you are exhausted or when you are in pain. Give your body enough time to relax or you will end up damaging your muscles.

  • Warming Up- Warm-ups are nothing but walking, jumping around, dancing and some stretches. Stretches include calf stretches, Achilles stretches, leg extensions, hip stretches, quad stretches etc. These are just to put you in good mood. Every exercise activity requires warming up. This allows your muscles to awake up and start receiving the blood they require and avoid injury.

  • Weight lifting- If you are not sure of how to start with weight lifting program then it is better to have a personal trainer who is there to tell you what to do and what not to.

  • Start lifting weight slowly- Do not get carried away during your first session and do lots of reps with heavy weights. You should choose a weight that you are comfortable with, and at the same time you should feel that your muscle is working. This is very important for beginners or you will end up breaking your bones.

  • Focus- To ensure that what you are doing is good, you must always focus. And the most important point that you should keep in mind is not to hold your breath. No matter what kind of exercise you are doing, you need to breathe freely and fully as your muscles need great amount of oxygen.

The benefits of a good workout are well-known and numerous. Unless you are certain of the payback of fitness and the risks of unfitness, you will not succeed.

And Guys Remember.... No matter what the outcome is.... Be Proud Of What You Achieve :)  cheerzz

Thursday, June 7, 2012

Top Secrets for Building Bigger Muscles

Not everybody at the gym is wanting to trim down or lose weight. Some of us are wanting to bulk up and develop bigger muscles. The correct fitness program is critical for acquiring that body builder physique you've always been searching for. Make sure that your daily exercise regimen includes the accurate areas for muscle-building success!

• Finish your workout at the health club in the right order -  Begin with the dumbbells; move on to barbells, and save the machines from the health clubs for last. It's because your smaller muscles, which stabilise your body, weaken more rapidly. You'll use them most with the dumbbells, few with the barbells, and the least with the machines. Nevertheless, machines have some built-in support for your body already.

• Do the moves you hate- Usually we hate some moves for the reason that they're more challenging for us...which means we, in reality, need them so much more. To toughen that weak spot at once, concentrate more on activities and workouts that are extra demanding for you.

• Work your back even more - Every time you're working out your back, keep your thumb next to your index finger. That tiny change pushes your body to do less work with the arms-and more with the back. Another advantage of a stronger back: your entire body will feel more firm during other exercises and activities.

• Approach your leg workout differently - Don't forget that your calves are made up of two different muscles. So, to get the results you want, you'll have to work both. The great way to do this is to do both the bent- and straight-legged versions of your leg exercises. Calf raises are a marvellous place to start.

• Don't bring your weight belt to the health club - Don't bring your weight belt to the health club even though you are using your belt to give your back more support. After some time, your body will come to rely on that belt-which means your abs and back won't get the workout they require and can even wear off over time. Save the weight belt for the actual intense lifting, like dead lifts, squats, and overhead presses.

• Bend a little - When you work your biceps, bend your wrists just a little bit. Similar to moving your thumb when you work your back, bending the wrists changes the way your muscles connect. When you do biceps curls, bend your wrists backward a bit, and hold them there while you finish your set.

• Take advantage of your anatomy. Every muscle has a contrasting muscle - When you work one, the opposing muscle is obliged to calm down. Take advantage of this benefit by making "forced rests" for your muscles. Work one muscle, say, your biceps, and then follow that by working the opposing muscle, the triceps. There will enough time for your muscle to recover before you move on to the next.
Again, if you're looking to add more muscle mass; consult a qualified guru at the health club. He or she can create a safe, effective workout routine that will help you reach your fitness goals.

How To Build Muscle - Things You Should Remember When You Want To Build Muscles

When you are serious about building muscles, you will need to remember some tips that will help you with your goal. It will not be enough to go to the gym and do a routine that you just picked out of anywhere. There is more to body building than that.

Listed below are several things you should know on how to build muscle anywhere in your body.

Proper Exercise Routine
You will need to find a proper routine that is aptly meant for you. Consider the areas that you want to build muscles on. It is important to remember that you will always need to have a well-proportioned body that's why it will be better if you workout each muscle group so that you do not come up with a body that has a big chest but thin muscle-less thighs.

Proper Diet
You will also need to watch your diet. Muscle-building needs to be accompanied by a specific diet that you will need to stick to. If you are on the thin side, you will need to eat more than usual so as to have the nutrients that will help build muscles in your body. If you are on the heavy side, you will need to cut down on several food groups so as to remove the excess fat you have. Depending on the workout plan you have and the body type you have, you will need to have a specific diet that is apt specifically for you.

Body Type
As mentioned, body type is important. You will need to know your body type before you even begin a workout and diet plan. This is because your workout plan and your diet plan will be based on the body type that you have.
Patience And Determination
It is not enough that you do exercise and control what you eat. It is also important to stick to that routine each day. Why? This is because without patience and determination, you will never get the muscles that you want.

Conclusions
Listed above are the tips on how to build muscle. You need to have specific plans for your workout - your exercise sets and your diet. Do your routine faithfully and you will have those muscles soon. You need to know that each workout routine is specific, depending on your preference and your body. It is good to consider making your body as proportionate as you can rather than building muscles in only one set of muscles at a time.

Tips on How to Gain Weight and Build Muscle

Despite the fact that a great number of adult men and women struggle to drop weight, there are many out there who struggle to find the best strategy to gain body weight and build muscle. If you intend to put on weight and build solid muscle, you may need to eat a few extra calories every single day. You will need to exercise to increase muscle mass, but you will also have to make sure that you are not exercising and training way too much because you will be losing bodyweight instead of gaining it. Eating extra calories everyday doesn't mean that you should eat junk food either. If you want to know how to gain weight and muscle, consider eating foods full of protein and focusing on weight training.
There are some general rules and tips on how to gain healthy weight and build hard muscles.

Eat extra calories seven days a week
The amount of extra calories you will have to eat to gain weight depends on how easily you metabolize food and how much you plan to work out. There are rather simple steps to figure it out. For this you should use a basal metabolic rate (BMR) calculator. You can find one anywhere on the internet. But if love math, this is what the formula looks like and you can figure it out on your own.
In case you don't use kilograms (kg) and centimeters (cm), then 1kg=2.2 lbs. and 1 inch=2.54 cm.
For grownup men the formula is: BMR = 66 (13.7 X wt in kg) (5 X ht in cm) - (6.8 X age in years) and for ladies it's BMR = 655 (9.6 X wt in kg) (1.8 X ht in cm) - (4.7 X age in years).
So for instance, I am a 32-year-old male, 6′ 5″ tall (196cm), and I weigh 96kg (211 lbs.). My BMR is 2579 calories per day.
If you know your BMR, you can calculate your daily energy expenditure by multiplying your BMR by your activity multiplier. If you have a desk job and have no exercise, then multiply it by 1.2. If you exercise 1-3 days per week, then multiply it by 1.375, and if it is 3-5 times per week, then by 1.55. If you are very active, then by 1.725, and if you run a marathon or do some extreme exercise, then it's 1.9 for you.
Now in my case I would multiply my BMR (2579) by 1.55 because I go to the gym 3-4 times per week, and this comes to 3996. What does this mean? It's very simple; I have to get almost 4000 calories a day to keep my body-weight. If I wanted to lose weight, I would need much less, and on the other hand, if I wanted to gain weight, my daily calorie intake would have to go up.
But like I mentioned before, you can find the calculator on the net. You don't have to calculate it yourself because this alone would burn a few hundred calories.

Eat much more often
Eat up to 5 to 6 meals every day to make sure you eat enough and have constant energy. It can be tricky to get most of the calories you need having only one meal a day. And even if you do it, prepare to be pushed into the sea by Greenpeace as they will mistake you for a whale. Breaking up your meals will allow you to add extra calories to your daily intake without becoming uncomfortably full and fat.
Eat the perfect foods to build muscle. Foods high in carbohydrates and unhealthy fats, such as desserts, potato chips or french fries, will help you put on weight, but they won't increase your muscle mass. Stick with protein-rich meals, such as lean chicken, fish, beans, and nuts. Nuts and certain fish, such as salmon, will give you both protein and healthy fats. And if you can't get that or don't have time, you can always have a high protein energy bar. That's a much better choice than a Snickers.

Workout!
Sorry to disappoint you, but it's extremely hard to build muscle mass if you don't work out. And if you already do exercise, then remember that you'll gain weight and muscle mass quicker if you lift heavier weights fewer times than if you lift lighter weights more times. Aim to exercise your whole body to build muscle mass. For this the best exercises are leg squats and dead lifts. Try to do those as much as possible. If you like running or a lot of cardio, then STOP! Have you ever seen a marathon runner with big muscle groups? Probably not, and there is a reason for that. Cardio burns a lot of calories, and that is the exact reverse of what you need.

Rest
 Get enough sleep because your body needs recovery time for muscles to grow. Try to have about 7 hours of sleep every night. Exercise for about 4 times a week to gain muscle mass without getting hurt. It is very inconvenient when you can't work out because you have injured yourself by pushing it way too much.


Keep smiling!
Try to stay stress-free as much as you can to gain healthy weight. Stress causes your body to release a hormone, cortisol, which can lead to storing fat. So keep smiling!
There is also one very significant issue I must address. All of these helpful tips work in a broad sense, but to achieve better results, you have to shape your training regime and eating and sleeping routine around your somatotype, which is merely a person's body type. There are three types: an ectomorph (tall, thin body), an endomorph (rounded body shape) and a mesomorph (muscular and stocky physique of medium height). Every body type has specific characteristics, and what works for one might not work for the other two. So if you have struggled to gain weight, this could be the reason.
When you start a new workout program, you will quite often get extreme muscle soreness, called DOMS (Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness). This soreness is perfectly normal and it shouldn't stop you from keeping to your weight training program. It disappears in a couple of days. And if you get DOMS, it means you trained hard and you really should be proud of yourself.

Importance of Exercises in Weight Loss and Stress Management

Stress can be easily manages through fit body and fit body can be maintained by doing regular exercises. There are in 3 different components of exercises.

The first and important component of fitness exercise is cardio respiratory. This is achieved all the way through aerobic exercises. Aerobic exercise refers to exercise that keeps the heart beating at a higher rate than standard for a comprehensive period of time (half an hour to 1 hour). This is the easiest type of exercise because all that is really necessary is a good pair of shoes. Taking a 30 minutes normal walk three times a week is all that needed to burn fat and lead to other fitness. Other aerobic activities that need more equipment and/or a particular place to do it include running, biking, aerobics, and swimming, playing sports like tennis and basketball can also gives some aerobic advantages.


The second component of fitness exercise is power and muscular stamina. A person who has more power is going to burn more calories this means that adding power will help even when a person is laying down. Strength training typically requires weights. However, a person can do push-ups and sit-ups to gain some of the important benefit of weight training. There are many different types of exercise a person can do to boost power. If there are persons who are authentically concerned in starting a strength program, a trainer may want to get in touch with a fitness trainer in the area to see if he would be keen to provide extra instruction. On the other hand, there may be program offered through different group of people that a person could attend. There are also several fitness programs on internet that can be joined. The workout program must be chosen very cautiously because you need a program designed by a trainer or expert who knows all the fundamentals of weight loss training. Turbulence Training Program is the most popular and highly recommended workout system for both men and women.



The final component of fitness exercise is flexibility. Flexibility is enhanced by doing basic and essential stretching. Flexible muscles and joints are not as much of likely to get injured while engaging in physical activity. There are a number of flexibility exercises to keep your fit and healthy, and they often are part of aerobics or power training. Use similar resources mentioned with power training to educate specific flexibility exercises.

Wednesday, June 6, 2012

Reap The Benefits Of Exercise: Stay FIT and HEALTHY

The news is filled with scientific studies about the benefits of exercise. Television channels advertise exercise equipment, diet pills, celebrity diets and fitness regimes aimed at losing fat and gaining muscle in 10 weeks or less. With all of this blatant propaganda, it can be hard to see the simplest and most heart felt benefits of regular exercise. Exercise provides higher levels of health for the body. It improves the body's function and ability to fight new disease and the progression of disease. Simply put, exercise is an essential part of our daily lives and has nothing to do with propaganda.
To better understand the benefits of exercise, one must first examine the true definition of exercise. Defining exercise is dependent upon the level of current fitness the body has achieved. For a sedentary individual, exercise may mean walking to and from the grocery store instead of parking right next to the front door. It can be taking those extra steps to pick up the mail on foot, or walking to the bus stop to retrieve the kids after school. On the other hand, for the more physically fit person, more activity is needed to grasp the real and noticeable benefits from exercise on a regular basis.
At the heart of an exercise program is the heart. The heart needs to be worked consistently in order for an activity to be termed as exercise and thus for that activity to change the way the body looks, acts and feels. In general, exercise needs to raise the heart rate to a level that is literally an exercise for the heart. Knowing the level of heart rate one should aim for is the first aspect of reaching the core potential for the body.
Knowing Your Target Heart Rate
Your target heart rate is the rate that the heart should be raised to during exercise and the level it should remain at during the exercise program in order for the activity to truly be termed exercise. The target heart rate for an individual is computed with the help of the age and current physical fitness level. Computing the target heart rate means first computing the maximum heart rate and the resting heart rate. These two figures come into play heavily when computing the target heart rate for physical activity.
The maximum heart rate can be figured by taking the number 220 and subtracting your age from that number. While this is the most common method for figuring the maximum heart rate, the only true measurement is the one taken after rigorous exercise. In order to find this clinical version of your maximum heart rate, your doctor or the physical trainers at a local gym can help guide you through the process of maximizing your heart rate and then measuring the results.
The resting heart rate is the heart rate you exhibit upon waking in the morning. As soon as you awaken, place your fingers on the neck just below the left curved jaw line. Press in with the fingers and count the number of beats you feel within a minute's time. This is your resting heart rate.
Once you have noted your maximum heart rate and your resting heart rate you will be able to figure out your target heart rate for physical fitness. The target heart rates are figured on a sliding scale based upon intensity. The intensity levels used range from 50% to 85%, with 50% being the minimum target heart rate for physical fitness and the 85% being the maximum target heart rate for physical fitness. The method for calculating the target heart rate is as follows:
* ((Maximum Heart Rate - Resting Heart Rate) X Intensity %) + Resting Heart Rate
To further understand the calculation of the target heart rate an example could be:
* A 30 year old woman who has a maximum heart rate of 190 beats per minutes (220-30) and a resting heart rate of 60 beats per minute. This woman would have a minimum target heart rate for physical fitness of 125 beats per minute (190-60 = 130 X 50% = 65 + 60 = 125) and a maximum target heart rate for physical fitness of 170.5 beats per minute (190-60 = 130 X 85% = 110.5 + 60 = 170.5). Thus the target heart range for this woman would be 125 to 170.5 beats per minute.
Working the Target Heart Rate Levels
In the beginning of a physical fitness program, the individual will need to aim for the lower end of the target heart rate range. This is not only good for the body, but for the heart, as well. When beginning a physical fitness program aimed at reaping the benefits of exercise, a doctor or a physician should be consulted in order to make sure your body is ready for higher levels of physical fitness. This is especially important for people who have been living a sedentary lifestyle, or who are currently being treated for any physical illness, disease or limitation.
From the beginning days of your new physical fitness program, the aim of that activity will be to achieve the lower end of the target heart rate range and keep the heart rate within that range for the duration of the exercise. But, this does not mean 5 or 10 minutes. In order to achieve the benefits of exercise, a longer commitment is needed.
Optimizing Your Workout Goals
The most promising effects of physical fitness and exercise can be achieved through 30-45 minutes of sustained heart rate increase, 3-5 days a week. At first, this amount of commitment may seem overwhelming, but no one will ask a first timer to reach these levels within a few days of starting an exercise program. Starting out slowly by working out for 10 minutes, three times a day can be a goal more easily conquered. Over time, as the physical fitness levels increase, the time of each workout will increase, as well. Knowing how long to exercise and how high your heart rate should stay is only the first step in achieving the optimal benefits of exercise. Knowing which exercises to do is the next.
The Best Actions to Ensure the Benefits of Exercise
Your entire body needs to be a part of the physical fitness regime you are about to undertake. While the majority of first time exercisers choose aerobic exercise in the form of walking, jogging, treadmill work or elliptical work or their daily heart rate rise, this can be worth less benefit to the body over time.
Take the case, for instance, of the retail manager. He may walk 35,000 steps a day while on the job, but that does not constitute exercise. The body eventually gets used to this form of movement and predicts that it is an every day occurrence. The heart rate does not rise and the benefits of exercise are lost. The same goes for daily exercise regimes. The activities you choose need to shock the body and keep those muscles guessing from day to day.
The best exercises to choose for the beginner would follow a weekly plan that works the entire body within the 5 days of exercise. An example week may include:
Monday - Briskly walking for 35 minutes.
Tuesday - Sit-ups, push-ups and general calisthenics
Wednesday - Dancing for 35 minutes to your favorite music.
Thursday - Rest
Friday - Jumping rope for 35 minutes.
Saturday - Sit-ups, push-ups and general calisthenics
Sunday - Rest
As you can see from this example week, the body muscles being used are different with each day of the program. The aerobic exercise days alternate with the anaerobic or muscle building days. This keeps the body guessing and helps to build muscle which can burn more resting calories over time. This is simply an example program. Depending on the exercise equipment you currently own or plan to buy, the actual activities could change dramatically.
Choosing Your Exercise Equipment
In order to create the best exercising environment at home, the home fitness equipment market offers just about every specific piece of gym equipment for home use. These additions to the home gym can be expensive and should be researched fully before choosing which pieces to buy. Some of the equipment available for home purchase includes:
• Elliptical Machines
• Treadmills
• Weight Benches
• Smith Machines
• Exercise Bikes
• Recumbent Exercise Bikes
When choosing one of these exercise machines, it is important to find out all you can about the machine, how it works and the overall helpfulness to those who have used the machine at home. The exercise bike, for example, offers the home gym user the chance to ride a bike without going out of the home. This can be beneficial during the colder months of the year and for those beginning exercise regimes in the obese stages of weight loss. In order to choose the best exercise bike, exercise bike reviews and recumbent exercise bike reviews can be found all over the Internet. These exercise bike reviews are written by people who have already purchased the exercise bike or have used the bike on varying occasions. The reviews will help you to choose from the hundreds of models of exercise bikes available for home purchase.
So, you have put in the research, the time and the money and now you want to know the benefits of exercise. Exercise is not only great for the body, but the mind as well. A regular exercise program can help ease the effects of stress, strengthen the heart, body and immune system, as well as the self image of the person exercising.
Reaping the Benefits of Exercise
The measurable benefits of exercise will be different for each generational age. From birth to the senior years of life, exercise provides the body with positive health effects and a sense of betterment, calmness and well being. No matter the reason for beginning a physical fitness program, the results will ultimately be the same, a better you.
Exercise and Babies
From the day a baby is born, exercise can be a part of every day life. Parental massages and fluid leg and arm movements can help to keep baby calm and stress free. Some parents even notice that over time the baby becomes used to these small bits of baby exercise and uses them to fall asleep at night and recover after a hearty baby cry.
Exercise and Kids
Once kids reach the rolling stage, there will be no stopping the exercise. The levels of energy a child exhibits each and every day not only need to be used to play and run rampant, but in a focused manner. When a parent engages in exercise fun with kids, they learn that exercise activities can be a healthy part of everyday life. This is especially important in the process of making exercise a normal part of every day life in later years.
Exercise and Teens
As kids grow from being kids and into being teens, they may find themselves less likely to exercise on a daily basis. This, unfortunately, is a great precursor for the activity level the child will have later in life. Making exercise a part of family fun and family outdoor activities, again teaches that exercise does not have to be a job it can be a part of life every day. The more exercise is ingrained in everyday activities; the more apt the teen is to continue exercising later in life.
Exercise and the Adult
As teens move into adulthood, the metabolism of the body begins to slow. This slowing can cause adult weight gain which can then lead to more serious conditions such as Type 2 (adult onset) diabetes and cardiovascular problems, among others. In order to prevent these disease and conditions, daily exercise is needed to keep the body moving and refreshing on a daily basis.
Some of the many benefits of exercise include:
• An increase in circulation.
• An increase in metabolism or calorie burning.
• A decrease in depression, stress and anxiety.
• A better sense of well being and self esteem.
• A decreased chance of depression, heart disease, diabetes and other weight related disorders.
Adults who exercise 3 to 5 days a week for a minimum of 30 minutes are just plain healthier than those who do not exercise. One study recently compared sets of twins and measured their cellular age. One of the twins was active and exercised on a regular basis; the other twin did not exercise and lived a more sedentary lifestyle. The twin who exercised exhibited a cellular age 10 years younger than the twin. Exercise keeps you healthy and young.
Exercise and Seniors
Just because age has gotten the best of your bones, joints and mind, does not have to mean you should stop exercising. With age comes health issues that may impede normal levels of activity, but low impact, low heart effecting workouts are still very important well into the latest years of life. These exercises can include:
• Yoga
• Dancing
• Tai Chi
• Stretching
• Walking
While this list is certainly not all inclusive, seniors can choose from any of these exercises and find a level that suits their physical fitness levels.
Exercise Has a Beginning and an End
It is important to note that the human body needs to be warmed up and cooled down when exercising. Warm ups need to last 10 to 15 minutes before the beginning of an exercise routine and cool downs need to last 5 to 10 minutes after the completion of the exercise routine. The warm up helps to prevent tears to the muscles that can occur if the muscles are cold and thus shorter than when warm. The cool down will help to distribute the lactic acid throughout the muscle. Lactic acid is a byproduct of exercise and is the main reason for pain and soreness in muscles the day after exercising.
Warm ups and cool downs can involve stretching, walking slower than exercising pace and heavy breathing exercises. Any activity that warms up the muscles can be involved in a warm up activity. The activity will need to warm up the same muscles that will be used during the exercise routine. Cooling down after an exercise routine should focus on the muscles that were just worked out in the exercise routine.
The benefits of exercise are rooted in a life of physical activity. The body needs to move, the heart needs to pump, and the muscles and mind need to be able to release some of that built up stress that living places upon us all. Through weekly exercise regimes, the human body can change, mold and prevent illness. No matter how you twist and turn it, the body is a machine that needs to stay well oiled and the perfect oil is exercise.

How to Succeed in Every Exercise

When you first started your exercise, you had a specific plan, schedule and even goals. What kind of exercises you're going to have, which part of the body you want to shape, what size you're going to achieve, etc. You do all of them from the first visit to the gym with big motivation. You sacrifice your leisure time to exercise, and you work very hard to achieve your goals.
But after few weeks you begin to feel exhausted, while the result is not as fast as you thought. What is happening here? Maybe there's something wrong with the way you manage your exercise! I want to share these 10 secrets I believe can help you to succeed your exercise, and make sure your exercise efficient and effective!
Secret #1 - Start Lightly
If you are a newbie, don't start with heavy exercise in an instant. Instead, you can try this method :
Day 1, 4 and 6
- 10 minutes warming up, by treadmill exercise or spinning exercise
- Stretching exercise
- Weight lifting exercise
- If you are in a weight loss program, have cardio exercise for 30 minutes
- Stretching for cooling down
Day 2 and 5
- 10 minutes warming up, by treadmill exercise or spinning exercise
- Stretching exercise
- Cardio or aerobics exercise for 30 minutes
- Stretching for cooling down
Day 3 and 7
Take a rest, as you need to give your body and muscles time to recover. But if you feel like having some light exercises, choose swimming, jogging, tennis or your other favorite sports for relaxing with your family or friends.
Secret #2 - Maximizing the most difficult
Many exercise you want to have, but less time to do it? Solution: you must maximize your exercise on the most difficult area to train or your most troubled area. This way, you can use your energy to train specific area with optimum result. For burning fat more effectively, do cardio after weight lifting. When you are doing weight lifting exercise, you burn the sugar in your blood, which will create energy. Use the energy for cardio exercise, which at the end will maximize the burning of fat.
Secret #3 - Don't stay at same level
After 3 months or when you already feel comfortable with your exercise, add your exercise portion. Don't just stay at the same level forever! Your comfortable feeling means your muscles need more 'challenge'. The better you build and maintain your muscle, the better and faster your fat burning would be!
Secret #4 - Keep your focus!
- Focus and concentration are very important to ensure success in your exercise.
- Do every exercise slowly, don't rush away.
- Always keep your body straight, to maximize your breathing.
- Do the right breathing technique: exhale when you do with the weight, and inhale when you return to normal position. You'll need oxygen for your muscle, to enhance its job capacity. Breathing also has impact to your weight loss program.
Secret #5 - Set new target
After certain period of time, you'll find your exercise to be boring, and you'll lose your motivation. Don't stop at this stage, but try to increase your exercise portion, or change your exercise program. For example, If you used to have treadmill as cardio exercise, try high impact aerobics for a change! Or you might want to try a new sport, squash is a good sport to burn calories fast.
Secret #6 - Wear a suitable sport shoes for your exercise
Sport shoes are must have item to do most exercise. There are so many choices of sport shoes with many brands, designs and colors. Choose the most suitable sport shoes with the kind of exercise you do.
Secret #7 - Train your stability
Besides cardio and weight lifting exercises, don't forget to train also your stability. Stability is important to help your movement and to avoid injury. You can vary your exercise with yoga, or simply try this little trick at the end of your exercise:
- Stand on one leg and raise the other leg forward.
- Hold the position for 20-30 seconds.
- Do the same with the other leg
Secret #8 - Be creative
Do the same routine exercise after a while will decrease your motivation. Be creative, and add fitness equipment such as gym ball, resistance band or dumbbells to create more variative and fun exercises.
Secret #9 - Switch exercise intensity
It's even better if you could provide 1 day during the week to lower your exercise intensity. Try some light and more fun , you can perhaps do it with your friend. The point is to give your muscles time to recover, so that you will be ready for your next exercise schedule.
Secret #10 - Don't stick on numbers!
Heart rate monitor or weight scale is useful for supporting your exercise program. The equipment gives you accurate data to measure your performance. However, don't just stick on the numbers. You must keep your concentration on your own body. Keep doing the exercises and enjoy it, your body will let you know what it needs!

Choosing an Exercise Program

The toughest and most important step in your exercise program is getting started. Choosing an exercise program is an important decision but choosing an exercise program is just the first step. An exercise program is designed to meet your specific needs and goals. If you have chosen well, getting started will be much easier.
A very important aspect of your exercise program is the intensity. Safety during your exercise program is also very important. The safest way to start an exercise program is to perform the chosen exercise or sport at a low intensity until the legs or arms ache or feel heavy. A good aerobic exercise program is one where a repetitive motion stimulates heart and lung activity for at least 30 minutes without stopping. The first thing to do though before starting any kind of exercise program is to consult with your doctor.
A personalised exercise program is developed based on one's individual medical condition and current state of physical fitness. If you want to look good, feel good and live longer an exercise program is an excellent start. The first step in a fitness and exercise program is in deciding what type of exercise you enjoy. The final key in beginning an exercise program is to start slowly, and progress gradually allowing your body to adapt to the new exercises. Educating yourself about what comprises an exercise program is the easy part of making fitness a part of your life.
Beginning an exercise program is scary stuff. However, before an exercise program is designed for you, your doctor or health care provider will perform an exercise assessment and screening. One of the reasons many individuals do not attempt an exercise program is because they feel they are not very athletic or coordinated. Anyone can exercise but each much exercise according to their own physical health and limitations.
When a new exercise program is started, it is the break down of muscle tissue that causes muscle fatigue and soreness. The key to starting and maintaining an exercise program is persistence. Sore muscles will disappear in no time. It is up to you to make sure that your family and friends understand how important your exercise program is to you. Having their support will help you persevere.
The goal of any sport or exercise program is to increase the heart rate, improve muscle tone, and build strength. Making a full commitment to your exercise program is the first step. One of the most important factors in beginning an exercise program is to select the most convenient time for you to exercise. Starting an exercise program is hard for everyone. Researchers have found that an exercise program is more successful if it includes variety and continually challenges the body to work hard. An exercise program is the only way to lead a long and healthy life.
Starting an exercise program is easy. After safety, the most important element in your exercise program is enjoyment. If your exercise program is a negative experience for you, it is not an appropriate program. A regular exercise program is beneficial for women as well as for men. For most people, a balanced exercise program is best. It's important to remember that any bone density gains are largely lost after the exercise program is stopped. So stick with it!
The right exercise program is one that starts slowly and gradually increases in time and intensity. When an exercise program is specifically designed for you, your overall health can dramatically improve. The most important decision before beginning an exercise program is the choice of activity. Remember that the basis for any exercise program is muscle strength. Starting an exercise program is hard, but staying committed to it is even harder.
The purpose of a good exercise program is to find an enjoyable activity and do it regularly. An aerobics exercise program is the cornerstone to healthy living, and an absolute necessity for someone who is trying to lose weight. Establishing and maintaining a balanced exercise program can be made easier by working with fitness professional. Developing and implementing a comprehensive exercise program is a continually evolving process.

Myths, Lies and Propaganda About Exercise

Throughout my career in the military I have come across a variety of tall tales about eating and exercise. The extent of misinformation is so great that you'd think we were dealing with Cold War propaganda. If a lie is told frequently enough it is treated as the truth. Here are some of the myths, lies and propaganda about exercise.
Exercise MYTH # 1: The best time to exercise is in the morning, because it jump-starts your metabolism.
The TRUTH: Exercise anywhere, anytime.
The best time to exercise is the time that fits your schedule. That can be morning, noon or nighttime. The enemy wants to rob you of any thought of flexibility so that you just surrender and do not exercise enough. Morning exercise will expedite the wake-up process, and you will feel energized. Mid-day exercise will energize and refresh you and help you overcome that afternoon grogginess. Nighttime exercise is an amazing stress-management tool that will get that blood circulation back up so you are really infused with the energy to enjoy the evening much more. Any morning versus evening metabolism, difference is insignificant compared to the overall benefit of exercising. It is propaganda from the enemy. This myth is busted.
Exercise MYTH # 2: If you do not exercise, muscle will turn into fat.
The TRUTH: Muscle does not and cannot turn to fat.
What a bunch of hogwash! The Wizard of Oz may be able to turn muscle into fat, but that is a fairytale, and the Tooth Fairy will not be able to help you on this one! Snap out of it, Soldier! Fat cannot and does not turn to muscle, and muscle cannot and does not turn to fat! Here's what does happen. You burn off fat and build muscle OR you lose muscle and gain fat. Get that other propaganda out of your head!
Exercise MYTH #3: Running a mile burns more calories than walking a mile. The TRUTH: Both running and walking a mile burn the same amount of calories.
We called in our mathematicians for this one. They looked at us with a grin and said, "Give us something challenging. This is a no-brainer." Running one mile and walking one mile both burn 100 calories. Walking a mile takes longer and therefore results in a burn of the same amount of calories. So why run? Because it works that cardio and, if you are looking for a calorie burn, running will burn more calories in less time than walking. Ask a mathematician. It is true.
Exercise MYTH #4: You must exercise continuously for 30 to 40 minutes to benefit your heart.
The TRUTH: Every bit of exercise adds to a heart benefit.
The enemy wants you to subscribe to the self-defeating All-or-Nothing Principle. The All-or-Nothing Principle: "If I can't exercise continuously for 30 to 40 minutes, I'm not going to do it at all." We have been created to do what we CAN do. Research supports the fact that every bit of exercise accumulates to an overall health benefit. Conversely, every bit of sedentary lifestyle accumulates to damage your health and your heart.
Exercise MYTH #5: A good sweat results in extra weight-loss.
The TRUTH: A good sweat is a good sweat.
I will tell you what a good sweat is! It is a good sweat! A good sweat results in extra water loss, not fat weight-loss. Need I say more?
Exercise MYTH #6: If you are injured, you should not work out at all, in order to allow your injury to heal.
The TRUTH: Movement promotes healing.
My reliable agents in the field have uncovered a couple of sources of this myth. It is possible that liability concerns of the medical community will play a role in the propagation of this misinformation. The truth: Movement promotes healing as long as it is done safely and under the guidance of your physician. Now, here is a big test question for you. Why is physical therapy prescribed for injuries? Yeah, I know. I already gave you the answer: Movement promotes healing and the regeneration of tissue.
Exercise MYTH #7: Focusing on abdominal exercises will help me lose that belly fat.
The TRUTH: This inspired me to get poetic.
You can crunch all day.
You can crunch all night.
You can crunch at bedtime and by the moonlight.
You can crunch it up.
You can crunch it down.
There ain't no way you'll lose a pound.
No! Abdominal exercises do not target belly fat loss. Do not believe those gadget commercials and, by the way, there is no Tooth Fairy.
Exercise MYTH #8: Stretching before exercise is essential to prevent injury. The TRUTH: There is no conclusive evidence that stretching prevents injury.
This myth is designed by the enemy to keep you from getting down to business and focusing on your cardio and strength training. Too much emphasis on stretching! The cardio benefit of stretching is almost zero. There is no conclusive evidence that stretching is essential to prevent injury. In fact, there are studies that suggest that stretching actually increases the muscles' susceptibility to injury, which - according to the studies - causes the muscle fibers to lengthen and destabilize the muscle during strength training. Mild stretching should not really be a problem. My recommendation: Warm up the body before stretching, or perform mild stretches until warmed up. Another option is to stretch briefly between sets.
Exercise MYTH #9: Never eat before a workout.
The TRUTH: Eat before your workout.
The enemy would like Americans to run out of energy and get weak. Now, if someone said to you, "We're going take a drive. Make sure you don't get gas," I think I can visualize that look of astonishment on your face! Food is fuel, and you need it for your workout. However, do not overeat. If you have an evening workout, make sure that lunch is not the last meal you had. In addition, if you do not have time to get a decent meal, eat a banana, a sports shake or an energy bar. There is no excuse for not getting some good-quality nourishment in preparation for a good-quality workout.
Exercise MYTH #10: Strength training with weights will make women bulk up.
The TRUTH: No! Strength training will not bulk women up.
The enemy wants to keep our women weak. Do not let it happen! Ladies, you will not bulk up with strength training. Most women's bodies do not produce enough testosterone to become bulky like those big guys on TV. Proper strength training will enhance your appearance and strength. In addition, if you are still concerned, just concentrate on doing high reps. That strategy is very healthy for your muscles because you will also be increasing your muscle endurance and not just your muscle strength.
Exercise MYTH #11: You should only start strength training after losing excess weight.
The TRUTH: Strength training is great for weight-loss.
Here we go again. The longer the enemy can delay an American getting on an exercise program, the greater the chances of defeat and another healthy lifestyle will be shot down by a myth before it even takes off. Movement is always healthy as long as you are not hurting yourself. Of course, in the beginning, exercise may very well hurt your feelings. If you feel that coming on, just go to my website NoMoreCryBabies.com. Strength training is a definite plus when you are in the process of losing excess weight. Cardio is also essential. Just follow that principle of doing what you can do, and do not forget to say to yourself and others how much fun you are having.
Exercise MYTH #12: If you do not exercise hard and often, it is a waste of time.
The TRUTH: All exercise benefits your health.
The human body was created for movement and not a sedentary lifestyle. Every bit of exercise you can integrate into your daily life will enhance your health and wellbeing. It is a myth that you must exercise hard and often to reap any health benefits. Eat right; exercise regularly; think predominantly positive thoughts; focus on those worthy life goals; focus on leaving your mark on this earth by serving others and benefiting your fellow man and woman. That is a recipe for a healthy life.
Exercise MYTH #13: You will burn more fat if you exercise longer and keep your heart rate in the "fat burning" range.
The TRUTH: You will burn more fat when you increase the intensity.
It is time for math class, again. Yes, it is true that the percentage of fat you are burning with a low-intensity workout is higher than a more intense workout with a heightened heart rate. Nevertheless, here is the fatal math error. With a low-intensity workout, you are burning fewer calories. With a high-intensity workout, you are burning, overall, more calories and are therefore burning more fat, even though the percentage of fat burn is decreased. This means that all those treadmills with those fat burn indicators are not only robbing you of a calorie burn, but are also robbing you of a good cardio and strength-training workout.
Forget those gadgets that measure your heart rate, and get back in touch with your body by using what is called perceived exertion. You can tell whether your workout is light, medium, hard, very hard, or brutal. Use that as a gauge. In addition, remember: You want to get your heart rate up, to improve your cardiovascular condition. Otherwise, those disease-related enemy soldiers will be knocking at your door.
Exercise MYTH #14: You must stay away from strength training while trying to lose weight, since it will cause you to bulk up.
The TRUTH: All exercise, both cardio and strength training, is essential during a weight-loss program.
This one may tie in with the other myth that fat can turn to muscle. All exercise, both cardio and strength training, is essential during a weight-loss program. If you do not perform strength training, your body will begin practicing cannibalism. Moreover, guess whose muscle mass your body will eat? Your own! That is not science fiction. If you are not using and maintaining your muscle, you will lose it. Your metabolism will slow down even more, and your health will suffer.
Exercise MYTH #15: Stress speeds up the metabolism and burns more fat.
The TRUTH: Stress causes the body to burn fat slower and may result in increased fat retention.
Exercise MYTH #16: Jogging and running will make a woman's breasts sag.
The TRUTH: This is not a myth! Jogging and running will make a woman's breasts sag, if she does not wear proper support.
Wear a sports bra and do not even think of eliminating excellent cardio from your workout. Walking is for people who cannot run, and I hope you are not in that category. If you do not wear a good sports bra, exercising can make your breasts sag more quickly, says Peter Bruno, M.D., an internist in New York City. High-impact activities, particularly jogging or aerobics, can stress your Cooper's ligaments, the connective tissue that keeps breasts firm. According to the American Council on Exercise, compression bras work best for smaller-busted women. The more well endowed (typically a C cup or larger) should opt for an "encapsulation" bra that supports each breast separately. Replace workout bras every six months to a year.
Exercise MYTH #17: I cannot lose weight because it is in my genes.
The TRUTH: No! Your genes do not have the last word. Eating right and exercising regularly will have a positive impact on your weight regardless of your genes. Lack of exercise and bad eating habits will have a negative impact on your health regardless of your genes.
You have no influence over your genes and, in some cases, there is a propensity for weight gain that is in the genes. But wait. The truth is exercise and healthy eating will have a positive impact on you regardless of your genes. This means that if you have the propensity to gain weight or get certain diseases, exercise and eating right will still reduce the impact.
Your lifestyle choice could have a negative impact on the development of your genes for future family generations. There is new evidence for what is called environmental inheritance, a radical theory of transgenerational genetic adaptation proposed by Professor Marcus Pembrey of the Institute of Child Health, University College of London in the mid 1990's. Simply put, your lifestyle of poor food choices or overeating or not exercising could lead future family generations to have a propensity for being overweight or having certain diseases or even smoking. The good news is that your healthy lifestyle may have a positive impact on the development of your genes for future generations.
By Lt. Col. Bob Weinstein, USAR-Ret., author of Weight Loss - Twenty Pounds in Ten Weeks - Move It to Lose It
Lt. Col. Weinstein, nationally known as the Health Colonel, has been featured on the History Channel and specializes in a military-style workout for all fitness levels on Fort Lauderdale Beach in South Florida. He is the author of Boot Camp Fitness for All Shapes and Sizes, Weight Loss - Twenty Pounds in Ten Weeks - Move It to Lose It, Discover Your Inner Strength (co-author), Change Made Easy and Quotes to Live By.

The Need For Exercise

The truth of the matter, is that exercise is vital to health and has enormous impact. The poll, o Exercise impacts almost every aspect of health. It can:
- Reduce the risk of premature death
- Reduce the risk of heart disease
- Reduce high blood pressure
- Reduce high cholesterol
- Reduce the risks of many cancers, including colon and breast cancer
- Reduce the risk of developing diabetes
- Reduce fat and optimize body weight
- Build and maintain healthy muscles, bones, and joints
- Reduce depression and anxiety
- Enhance performance in work and sport
It's not my purpose in this newsletter to teach you how to exercise -- there are many books, DVDs, and websites that teach you how to do that -- but rather, to explain to you why you need to exercise and why you need to commit to multiple forms of exercise. Believe it or not, running every day, won't cut it. Going to the gym every day and working out with weights every day won't cut it. You need it all: cardio/aerobic exercise, strength training, weight-bearing exercise, stretching, breathing, and balance.
Let's start by talking about cardio/aerobic exercise.
CARDIO/AEROBIC EXERCISE
By definition, cardio/aerobic exercise is brisk physical activity that requires the heart and lungs to work harder to meet the body's increased oxygen demand. Aerobic exercise promotes the circulation of oxygen through the blood. The key part of the definition here is the word oxygen. The defining aspect of aerobic exercise is that it is of sufficient intensity to force the heart and lungs to work harder, and yet of low enough intensity to facilitate adequate oxygen transfer to the muscle cells so that no buildup of lactic acid is observed. Another way of looking at aerobic exercise is that it involves repetitive movement of large muscle groups (such as your arms, legs, and hips) -- with all of the needed energy supplied by the oxygen you breathe. When you're aerobically fit, your body takes in and utilizes oxygen more efficiently -- to sustain the repetitive muscle movement. Benefits include:
- Improved heart and lung function
- Lower heart rate and blood pressure
- Increased blood supply to muscles and improved ability to use oxygen
- Increased HDL cholesterol (the good cholesterol)
- Decreased triglycerides
- Reduced body fat and improved weight control
- Improved glucose tolerance and reduced insulin resistance
- Enhanced immune function, which means
- Increased resistance to viral and bacterial infection
- Increased resistance to cancer
- Lowered blood sugar levels and reduced risk of diabetes
- Longer life expectancy
There is a world of aerobic exercise to choose from. Choose one or two that you enjoy and can easily pursue. For example, don't choose swimming if you live in the desert and the nearest pool is 60 miles away. Take your pick. There's running, jogging, and fast walking. Biking (either road or mountain), and swimming are also good. If you belong to a gym or have home equipment, there are treadmills, elliptical trainers, spin cycles, and rebounders -- with more being invented and marketed all the time. Just pick one or two that you like, can do easily, and are willing to do.
STRENGTH TRAINING
Strength training involves the use of weights or some other form of resistance to build muscle and increase strength. Its benefits include:
- Increased muscle strength
- Increased tendon and ligament strength
- Reduced body fat and increased muscle mass
- Better balance
- Lower blood cholesterol
- Improved glucose tolerance and insulin sensitivity
Contrary to popular opinion, strength training is not just for young people. Studies have shown that people in their 70's and 80's can experience strength gains of as much as 180% in just a few weeks!
What kinds of strength training options are available? Again, as with aerobics, there is a world of choices. There are free weights, stacked weight machines, and Nautilus circuits at the gym. There's resistance training as found in Soloflex and Bowflex machines and push/pull resistance as found in the Delta Trimax machine. Then there's Pilates equipment and the Total Gym that use your own body weight as resistance. Any and all can work. Choose one that works for you and that you can do easily and are willing to do regularly.
It's worth noting that weight training is the ultimate way to burn calories fast. A pound of muscle burns up to nine times the calories of a pound of fat. In other words, strength training increases your resting metabolic rate, which is the number of calories you burn while sleeping or sitting. The trick is that muscle is active tissue. That is, it requires a lot of energy just to maintain itself. In fact, every pound of new muscle you add to your body will burn about 60 calories per day. Adding just 10 pounds of muscle to your body, will burn off 62 pounds of fat over the next year -- even while you are sleeping! And it will continue to do so the next year...and the next.
WEIGHT BEARING EXERCISE
Weight bearing exercise is actually a subset of certain aerobic and strength training exercises. It is exercise in which you force your body to support weight (your own included) while exercising. Studies have shown that weight bearing exercise can help slow down the rate of bone loss and osteoporosis, and therefore reduce fractures. How does it do this? First, weight-bearing exercise directly stimulates bone formation. Then, it strengthens muscles that in turn pull and tug on bones. This pulling action actually causes the bones to become denser and stronger. Weight-bearing activities at any age benefit bone health. Studies have shown that even people in their 90's can increase bone mass with weight bearing exercise.
The best weight bearing exercises are: weight-lifting, jogging, hiking with a back pack, stair-climbing, step aerobics, racquet sports, and other activities that require your muscles to work against gravity. Swimming and simple walking don't do the trick. One exceptionally useful form of weight bearing exercise is rebounding. The act of rebounding makes use of g-forces, just like astronauts training in a centrifuge. Rebounding can actually achieve momentary g-forces of 3.5, which means that the bones of a 150 lb person will momentarily have to bear 525 lbs of weight on each bounce. That's a lot of weight bearing.
Note: the benefits of weight-bearing exercise are site-specific. This means that you strengthen only the bones used directly in the exercise. In other words, it's a good idea to participate in a variety of weight-bearing exercises. To maintain the bone-building benefits, the exercise needs to be continued on a regular basis.
STRETCHING
Stretching is the step child of exercise, with more lip service paid to it than actual practice. Stretching though is crucial to good health. The usual benefits cited include:
- Reduced muscle tension
- Injury prevention
- Increased range of movement in the joints
- Enhanced muscular coordination
- Increased circulation of the blood to various parts of the body
- Increased energy levels (resulting from increased circulation)
Think for a moment of the opposite of stretching -- tightness and restriction. By definition, you are talking about constriction in muscles and soft tissue. Tightness and constriction mean reduced blood flow to that muscle and soft tissue, a reduced supply of nutrients to the area of tension, and reduced removal of metabolic waste from those areas. Areas that are tense and constricted, then, are breeding grounds for illness and organ dysfunction. Now tie in the whole concept of traditional Chinese medicine which says that all disease results from restrictions in the flow of energy in the body and the resulting energy imbalances that creates, and you can see that stretching is not just an issue of feeling good; it is essential for maintaining optimum health.
What kinds of stretching are good? Yoga is probably the best stretching exercise there is, but Pilates works well too. If nothing else, just do 5-10 minutes of simple stretching after your daily exercise routine as part of your cool down time.
Note: It is not by accident that at 59 years old, I can still do full splits.
RESISTENCE BREATHING
Proper breathing is a topic worthy of its own newsletter, but for now, let's just focus on the advantages of resistance breathing. The concept is simple: putting a device in your mouth that restricts (in a controlled manner) your inhalations and exhalations, which forces your lungs to work harder. This, in turn, strengthens the muscles that makes your lungs work and increases their capacity. There are a number of such devices widely available on the internet and in health magazines. They tend to run $20-40. The investment is well worth it since this type of exercise can significantly improve the strength of your respiratory muscles and increase your lung capacity.
How much of a benefit are we talking about?
Studies have shown that these devices can increase breathing endurance by close to 300%. Considering how fundamental oxygen is to health, it's not hard to see the short and long-term health and performance advantages of doing so.
BALANCE
One other key aspect of exercise is balance. Why? Because like all other physical abilities, it diminishes with age unless we consciously exercise it. Is that a bad thing? Only if you fall down and break your hip or wrist. Here's a simple balance exercise you can do daily. It takes just a couple of minutes and will produce quick improvement.
1. Stand while holding for support, with one hand, the back edge of a chair set beside you.
2. Bend the leg nearest to the chair at the knee 90 degrees so that your knees are still together and the foot of the bent leg is projected out behind you.
3. Get used to balancing on the one leg while holding the chair.
4. Then turn to the other side and do the other leg.
Once you can comfortably balance like this:
5. Try taking your hand off the chair and balancing on the one leg without support from the chair.
6. As you get more comfortable doing this, try to stop using your arms for balance and pull your hands in, palms together in front of your chest, like in a Far East prayer position. This will force the act of balance to the muscles of one leg.
Once you can comfortably balance like this:
7. Try closing your eyes and holding the pose for 30 seconds.
If you really want to improve your balance, many yoga poses are specifically designed as balance poses, utilizing arms, legs, hips -- the entire body, in fact. On a more modern note, there's a whole new breed of vibrating-platform exercise-equipment that makes use of forcing you to balance while working out. The net effect is that because the balancing aspect forces you to use an entirely separate set of muscles in addition to your normal work out muscles, it dramatically accelerates the benefits of exercise.
CONCLUSION
Exercise is as important to good health as proper nutrition. Speaking of which, your need for proper nutrition is increased by exercise.
You will need more quality protein to build the muscles you are exercising. I know soy and whey are the "in vogue" supplements for body builders. I much prefer the combination of rice protein and yellow pea protein. It is virtually of the same quality and bioavailability as those other sources, but has one huge advantage. It is hypoallergenic and extremely easy to digest.
You also need quality carbohydrates, especially ultra-long-chain carbohydrates (ULCs) such as pre-sprouted barley. ULCs release energy over several hours and do not spike sugar levels.
You also need high quality fats -- Omega-3s and 9s in particular.
When you are exercising, you utilize more oxygen, which by definition produces more free radicals so you will need more antioxidants to clear them. Look for a full spectrum antioxidant, rather than a single source wonder supplement.
And you will want higher intake of minerals (particularly electrolytes) and water soluble vitamins (vitamin C, and all of the B vitamins) since you will be using them up and sweating them out at an accelerated rate. As a side note, instead of drinking high-sugar sports beverages, you might want to consider just adding liquid trace minerals to your water.
The one area that you gain nutritionally is detoxing. Exercise is its own form of detoxing. It removes waste from the lymph. It stimulates peristalsis to remove waste from the colon. And it accelerates the removal of waste through sweat and urine.
Bottom line: If you don't move you die. Exercise fundamentally changes every system and function in your body.
Jon Barron's Baseline of Health Newsletter and the Barron Report are read by thousands of doctors, health experts, and nutrition consumers in over 100 countries.