The Benefits of Exercise
Kickboxing Facts
Keeping Weight Lifting in Order
Burning Fat
Stress Relief

Exercise:
The Fountain of Youth

THE BENEFITS OF EXERCISE

 

You hear about how good exercise is for you every time you turn on the TV, read a newspaper and definitely when you visit your doctor. But what does that mean?

 

There is a lot of conflicting information. If exercise is not your passion, in fact, if exercise is really not on the top of your list of fun things to do on a Saturday, that confusion can support your choice of putting it off until tomorrow.

 

I hope to be able to share information that will change your mind about exercise and make you a believer.

 

The Fountain of Youth

 

A lot of money has been spent trying to find the fountain of youth. I am going to fill you in on a secret …exercise truly is the fountain of youth.

 

The human body was made to move! That old saying… "move it or lose it"… is true. If you stop being active your body starts to shut down the functions you need to be active. Your metabolism slows down and the weight starts to pile on.

 

 Not only that, but if your body does not have to raise to the task of being able to take on some stress from challenging your joints and bones with the impact of exercise, your physical structure weakens…not to mention your heart and your circulatory system lacking the benefits they receive when you move. Exercise keeps your body functioning the way it has been created to function.

 

That was a little backward way of telling you what exercise does for your body…Let’s break it all down.

 

 

Aerobic Exercise

 

That term gets thrown around a lot. What does it mean? With air. To be in an aerobic state requires air. There are three different types of fuel that your body burns…fat provides the most fuel. To access that fuel you must become a bit winded… and remain that way while you perform your aerobic activity for ideally 30 minutes or more. Your body then knows that it is going to need to find a source of fuel that is going to last a while. It goes straight to those fat bulges you want to get rid of and eats them up. That’s a much safer and cheaper way to get rid of those annoying fat pockets than liposuction…and exercise leaves no scars.

 

Amazing things happen to your body when you challenge it regularly by doing aerobic activity… it increases the enzymes within your muscles needed to burn the fat fuel, you gain more capillaries and red blood cells to carry the extra oxygen needed to burn the fat fuel that your body now needs. Your metabolism increases due to all the changes that occur during your exercise session and then your metabolism remains higher while your body is recovering from the activity. That means that you are not only burning extra calories while you exercise but after as well.

 

Those are only some of the amazing things your body does when you add aerobic exercise to your regular daily routine. All of those changes add up to a thinner, healthier more youthful you.

 

Strength Training

 

At this point you may be thinking…okay, I can manage to put some aerobic activity into my day.  That should take care of that. Aerobic exercise is needed but for women …especially older women, weight training can make all the difference between being strong and independent or weak and frail. Strength training is the best way to build your muscles and your bones!  And guess what…. having more muscle mass increases your metabolism adding up to... what? You guessed it, a thinner, healthier, more youthful you.

 

I Don’t Like How My Body Feels When I Exercise

 

If you struggle with the physical feelings that happen when all of these changes occur, you are not alone. When you have not exercised for a long time your body literally needs to relearn how to do its natural functions.

 

 The good news is that if you keep up the activity your body will become very proficient at doing its tasks and the effects will lessen. Once you get past the discomfort and experience how "amazingly" good you feel after exercise you will learn to either start to enjoy the feelings or at least be willing to go through them to get to the "good" feelings that occur afterward. Exercise is a mood enhancer as well. It relieves stress and helps you sleep at night.

 

Sweating is a real turn off for some people. Actually, it is a very healthy and necessary function of the body. Sweating is the way our bodies cool themselves down. The fitter you are the faster your body will begin to sweat.

 

Then why am I sweating like crazy during my aerobic class while the 16-year-old soccer player next to me is working out and talking on her cell phone? It goes like this…her body has adapted to the motion and it is not heating up as fast as yours. Your body starts to sweat when it gets to around 99.9 degrees and hers starts to sweat at around 98.9 degrees.  That is what happens when you become fit. Your body learns to adapt. Learning to relax and allowing yourself to sweat is important. Besides, it makes the shower after your workout so much more enjoyable.

 

I Am Too Old To Exercise

 

That could not be further from the truth! The older you are the more you need to exercise. When you are young your body uses a lot of calories just to grow! It holds onto its muscle mass and let’s face it …you run around a lot more.

 

Having regular strength training days one or two non-consecutive days weekly along with daily aerobic motion is needed. The way in which you exercise does need to change. As we age we do not synthesis protein as easily…what does that mean? We do not heal as quickly. So more rest days between lifting weights and less impact in our aerobic exercise is necessary. The days of full contact football are over but you still need to move.

 

In conclusion

 

Exercise needs to be part of your life, just like brushing your teeth. The pay offs are Huge! You will feel good, look good and be able to go on some fun vacations with the money you will save on your medical bills.

 

 I hope I have been successful in making you a believer in exercise. If you want to learn more about exercise and are interested in some amazing fitness programs visit my website www.getrealfit.org.  We offer wonderful exercise DVDs and more. Our site is new. We are still working on it so keep checking in as we grow. We will be providing you with all the up to date fitness news and offering you everything you need to be the most beautiful you.

 

To your Good health…Lynn Hahn

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The Good News About Kick Boxing

The Martial Arts Are Amazing!

 

 

If you could find an exercise program that made you lose weight and fat in a shorter amount of time per exercise session, that firmed and toned your upper and lower body, which did not require a background in professional dancing… (Two left feet are fine), that made you feel strong and powerful as well as relieved massive amounts of stress…wouldn’t you want to do it?

 

Guess what? Kick Boxing does all of that and more. After being involved in the fitness industry for 18 years and having been a professional dancer as well as being involved in too many sports to list on this page, I started to train in the martial arts. I was amazed. I got a better work out than anything I had ever experienced… and it was Fun!

 

Sounds Good but What Makes It So Special?

 

Glad you asked. It follows the basic rule: when you exercise, the more muscles you use, the less long you gotta do it.

 

Let’s look at some different forms of exercise. Walking is great but not many muscles are involved in the action required to walk. Now if you add hills, more muscle groups have to jump in and play to get you up that hill. Your body has to adapt more quickly to get the extra muscles going so your systematic response is faster. The chemical responses in your heart, blood, bone and a whole host of other places, speed up.

 

 Take it to a jog. Now you add all that bouncing which requires even more muscles to be used to help you stay balanced, as well as the additional energy needed to help you breath harder and … "Allakazoo"… your body is challenged even more! It needs more fuel to accomplish all of that so it burns fat and calories faster.

 

Let’s look at another side of the coin. Let’s jump on a bike. You are using mostly your legs. If you push hard, they get a burn pretty fast, don’t they? That burn is lactic acid. When you feel that, it means you are no longer burning fat. It becomes painful and you have to stop.

 

If you go over and jump on the cross country ski machine, you will notice that your heart will start beating and you may have to stop if you go too hard because you run out of air, but the burn is much slower to occur. That is because more of your muscles are being used so the effort is spread out over many muscles rather than just a few; therefore, your body is able to stay in an aerobic fat-burning state for a longer period of time.

 So What Does That Have to Do with Kick Boxing?

 

Kick Boxing uses a lot of muscles simultaneously. Your upper body is punching and your lower body is kicking. The wonderful thing is you can control how your body is burning fuel so you can play your body like a violin.

 

When you start to feel a burn in your legs, you can go back to your arms. You can work your arms first and then your legs. You can work the arms and legs at the same time. A clever instructor can keep you in the fat burning state for the majority your workout. The choices in motions are endless. You will be huffing and puffing but the amount of fat and calories burned make it worthwhile.

 

The Get Real Fit Aerobic Programs Bring You Even More…

 

The aerobic programs I created for Get Real Fit use other modern methods to bring you even better results. Let’s look at a few. I will try to be brief because a lot of planning went into each and every fitness program I put together for you.

 

Interval Training

 

This method uses both fast and slow actions within the work out session. It is one method of bringing intensity into your exercise. There are three needed components to exercise: intensity, duration and frequency. Intensity drives your fitness level up the fastest. Too much intensity causes injury. By combining intense moves with active resting moves you cut down on the possibility of injury plus keep your body in the fat burning state.

 

Warm Up

 

Your body needs a good warm up to allow it to move into the fat burning state. I have a well-timed warm up in our program so your body is ready to gobble up that fat!

 

Stretching

 

The stretches I use focus on the parts of your body used during the session. They help lessen your soreness the next day.

 

Is Kick Boxing the Only Format Used For Your Aerobic Fitness DVDs?

 

The answer is "no". I do use other forms of martial arts. You will have several different types of martial art forms to choice from. The aerobic DVDs all make use of the martial arts in some manner.

 

 In my first DVD Box and Burn, I used boxing and the modern methods we discussed above. I did that because I wanted the first DVD to be user friendly. Kicking takes more balance than boxing. That balance will come as you train with our products. By combining boxing with modern methods, the basic rule: when you exercise, the more muscles you use the less long you gotta do it, still applies in our first aerobic DVD Box and Burn.

 

 For some of you kicking is no problem. Don’t worry, I will be creating DVDs that will include kicking and a lot of other really cool moves.

 

Two Left Feet

 

Another really great thing about all our programs is that we use a very casual format. All the women in the DVDs are real women…not models or dancers. We have fun and laugh a lot. We do not worry about being perfect. So if you have been intimidated by some of the other DVDs …especially the kick boxing ones, do not worry, you will feel at home with us. Visit us at Get Real Fit.org

 

I will leave you with this thought:

 

Kick Boxing is for Every Body!

Give It a Try

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When Lifting Weights

 

KEEP IT IN ORDER

 

What Is The Big Deal?

 

I have taken many, many different courses on weight training to keep my certification with the American Council of Exercise current. This has been my "focus" area for the last few years… Getting down to the bottom of the arguments. There is variation in what is taught so I tried the methods out myself and with my students. This is what I found worked.

 

Work the Largest Muscles First!

 

The truth is... work the largest muscles first! All the weight training programs agreed on this. It is just logical when you think about it. When you do an action for developing your chest, which has very large muscles, the muscles in your arms have to support that effort. If you tire out your arms out by doing bicep curls first, then the muscles in your arms give out before the muscles in your chest. Your chest muscles cannot be challenged as much as they need to be challenged.

I see a lot of people come into our gym and start their weight training by doing bicep curls! I have to bite my tongue if I am not on duty that day. Advice has to be desired I have found. Good that you are here reading this information because you want to learn how to make the most out of your weight training.

 

Bottoms up!

 

The muscles in your bottom are the largest group of muscles in your body. Working them first is the best plan. For us ladies, we tend to carry our weight there anyway. Focusing on that area helps to provide you with a lot of hungry muscle tissue and makes you look great in your jeans! Start with your squats or other exercises that target your “assets”  [(-:], then work your way into your hip exercises.

 

Work Those Thighs…

 

Your upper thighs come next. Do your leg extensions, leg curls or what ever you have found that works your upper thighs. Follow those exercises with calf lifts, shins lifts and you have your lower half looking it’s best.

 

Show a Little Cleavage

 

Some of us have a bit more than others. I was in the wrong line when cleavage was passed out, but we all need to keep our chests firm! It is time to do your chest presses, fly’s or however you work your chest.

 

Who Does Not Want a Beautiful Back?

 

This is the time to work your upper back. Save the lower back for last! Your upright rows, reverse fly’s all come now. Then move into your shoulder exercises.

 

The Arms Have It!

 

Good-looking arms are the in thing! Madonna still has great "guns" at her age. Some women are afraid that they will get big arms. Most women will not. It takes a lot of work to get those competitive weight training arms. In order to get those, you need to have the genetics to do so. My arms get a lot of attention…they are not over done, just nicely carved and I am 56 years old! It is time to do your bicep curls. Do lots of exercises for your triceps and whatever you like to do for your arms.

 

Abs, Abs, Abs…

 

Core muscle training is all about good abs. Now ladies, the “give me six packs” is a set up. Just like the genetic arms, the six-pack is a gift from God. Some of us can get them. Some of us no matter how hard we try, it just does not happen. We can all have nice looking tummies. It is so important to work these muscles well. Saving them for the end is crucial. The abs support all of your other work and your back while you are doing your lifting. If you tire your abs out, they cannot support your effort and your back may pay for it!

 

Most Important!

 

Save your lower back for last. You do want to work that area. Back extensions are a must!

 

Make a Rule to Break a Rule

 

I all know that life is not black and white. There are ways to work this system a bit differently. If you are working with a professional, or are a professional, she may work this system a bit differently. I alternate between the lower than upper body like music, so time is spent very well. If you are not a professional and are getting random exercises off the net, I highly suggest you follow this outline.

I have created wonderful strength training DVDs that will be going on the market soon. We have a beginning and advanced program. Visit our web site www.getrealfit.org to find out about those programs. Working with a professional is always the best way to go!

 

To Your Good Health

 

Your fitness expert

 

Lynn

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Burning Fat

Burning fat is a hot topic. There are all kinds of pills and promises about how to burn your fat. The simplest way is to exercise!

Some types and methods of exercise have been proven to burn fat more effectively than others… especially for women. Women need to exercise differently than men. 

Women Versus Men

It is being proven that men and women burn fat differently. The exact reason is up for debate. The good news for women is that the current tests are pointing to women as being the better burners of fat!

It has not been proven why we are better fat burners yet. One theory rests on the truth that women simply have more fat, so they may burn it more easily. Another possibility is that our bodies make better use of the enzymes and hormones used to burn fat or that we make more of them. Whatever the reason, it is good news for women.

Apple and Pear

How men and women carry fat varies in most cases.

Men tend to be shaped like apples carrying their fat storage in their mi-section (which has a lot of health risks).

Women tend to be shaped like pears, carrying our fat in our hips and thighs (a much healthier place to carry fat).

Great Abs!
 

For those of you that want sexy abs, this will make you smile.

For most people the fat storage in the abs goes quickly. This is due to the way most people store the hormones and enzymes needed to burn fat. The friendly fat eating hormones and enzymes tend to be placed within the fat cells in your abdominals.

Junk In The Trunk

The hips and thighs tend to be the home of the hormones and enzymes that slow down the fat burning process.

If you think about why you have fat, it makes some sense. You use fat to keep you warm, for fuel and for padding against trauma. That pillow of fat can be a welcome cushion when you slip and fall…or on a long bus ride.

Lift What You Can’t Lose

My female students usually have two requests, “ I want flat abs and I want to lose the saddle bags on my hips.”

Losing the fat covering your abs is easy for most women, losing the hip and thigh fat is very difficult.

You store your abdominal fat under your muscle so along with the better burning hormones and enzymes it is just easier to get to.

You store your hip and thigh fat under your skin, which makes it not as readily available. That along with the “keep this for warmth and padding” messages your body sends makes the hip and thigh area tough to trim.

When putting together an exercise program for women, it’s crucial to use a lot of motions that focus on firming the muscles in the butt and thighs. I always say, “ Lift what you can’t lose”.

Learn to Love Your Body

Having full hips and thighs that are firm is very attractive! Your genetics play a huge role in what you look like. It is so important to learn to love your look!

Life would be so dull if we all looked alike. Being a healthy weight is needed but to try to look like someone else is very unhealthy.

Exercise Needs For Women

Another recent finding is that women tend to burn fat better when doing low to medium intensity aerobics, more so than men.

There is a bigger picture on that truth. Looking at the total energy expenditure is the number one way to make the most of your weekly exercise.

Since intense exercise burns more energy during and after exercise, it is important to include it within your weekly workout. I suggest more intense exercise two to three non-consecutive days per week. That will burn more body fat in the long run.

 On the other days of the week keeping your aerobics at a low to mid amount of intensity adds up to a winning score at the end of the week.

Knowledge is Power

Learning about your body is so important. As you can see, a lot of great research is being done about exercise and its benefits. There is one fact that is always agreed upon…Exercise is good for you!  Include it in your daily life.

For great workout DVDs just for women visit…   www.getrealfit.org

Your personal fitness expert

Lynn