It is not true that people stop pursuing dreams because they grow old, they grow old because they stop pursuing dreams. —Gabriel Garcia Marquez

As summer nears, the lure of sunshine, warmth, and poolside idleness becomes tempting. This is especially true if you've just spent the spring working on looking good in your bathing suit. But, keeping your toned physique through the summer months involves another challenge. As the temperatures soar, heat exhaustion becomes more a likelihood than a concern. Let's take a look at how to stay cool so you can ramp up your workouts, whether it's P90X® or Power 90®, even as the mercury rises.

What is heat exhaustion?

Heat exhaustion is one phase of hyperthermia, a condition that occurs when the body produces or absorbs more heat than it can dissipate. In its advanced state, heat stroke, medical attention is absolutely necessary because of the threat of death. Minor cases aren't life threatening and occur regularly, especially in warm weather, but should be treated seriously because heat exhaustion can quickly turn into heat stroke if allowed to progress.

The weather needn't be hot for hyperthermia to occur. Heat can be created artificially by drugs or medical devices or naturally through exercise or improper fueling of the body. But as the weather gets warm, your margin for error decreases, because your body temperature will increase without you doing anything active. This is especially true early in the year when you aren't used to the warm weather. Those coming off of a cold winter are particularly vulnerable.

By the numbers, it looks like this: Normal body temperature is around 97° to 98°F (36° to 37°C). Anything above 104°F is considered life threatening. At 106°F, brain death begins, and by 113°F, death is nearly certain. Since anytime you "feel hot" your body temperature is edging its way over normal, it's not hard to see that you don't have a large buffer before your condition may become serious.

Signs and symptoms of heat exhaustion

Sweating is your body's response to overheating. The process pulls heat from inside the body and pushes it out, where it will evaporate on the skin and cool the body further. So sweating is the first sign of overheating and should indicate that proper hydration strategies be adhered to in order to keep this process working.

When you're hot and stop sweating, your body is in serious trouble and aggressive measures (see daily strategies below) should be initiated. Prior to this, you would likely experience other warning signs. The most basic is feeling hot. This means that your sweating mechanism is being overworked or is not doing its job properly. The skin will then become red or flush. Headaches, stomach upset, feeling faint and/or an increased heart rate are all indicators that your condition is getting worse.

If not treated, your condition will decline further. Dizziness and/or nausea will likely follow. Your skin will change from red to pale or blue-ish. Feeling hot will be replaced by feeling chilled. Convulsions are a possibility. In this state, the body begins to fail and all priority should be placed on reversing the situation.

Thousands of people die from hyperthermia each year. A study, reported in the Annals of Internal Medicine, followed the progress of patients admitted to intensive care units for heat stroke and found that nearly half of the patients died within a year—28 percent died after their release from the hospital. This shows that the effects of heat stroke put long-term stress on the body. But it also shows, most likely, that those who experience hyperthermia probably do so by making daily mistakes on the prevention side. So let's look at how to avoid hyperthermia on a daily basis and what to do when we slip up.

Daily strategies

Hydration is the key. A properly hydrated body will not be hyperthermic. But hydration can be tricky, especially as outside conditions change. Reacting to weather changes requires more than consuming your recommend 6 to 8 glasses of water per day. This is because water is only one side of the equation. Body salts, called electrolytes, are the other side. The primary electrolyte is one of the more misunderstood nutrients on the planet: salt.

Staying hydrated requires that you keep a balance of water and salt. As we heat up, our requirements for both of these increase. The standard requirement of 6 to 8 glasses of water per day can change to per hour under extremely hot conditions when you're exercising. Salt can be even more confusing. The recommended daily allowance (RDA) for sodium is 2,500 milligrams per day. But a person sitting inside in cool temperatures may only need 500 milligrams per day, whereas someone exercising in the heat may sweat out 2,000 milligrams in 1 hour! This means that the RDA is a random number based on an average. How much salt you need is directly related to your lifestyle and the weather. The more you sweat, the greater your need for salt.

Too much salt and not enough water is a deadly condition that most of us are aware of, but too much water and not enough salt will kill you even more quickly. Since most of us have plenty of salt in our daily diets (and millions of us too much), we tend to focus mainly on water intake for staving off dehydration. But ensuring that you have a balance of water and electrolytes becomes vital as the temperature rises.

While confusing, this dilemma isn't all that hard to sort out. There is a great margin for error when it comes to hydration, and it's not vital to get it perfect, unless you're competing in a sport. For most of us, just being aware that we're drinking extra water and getting some salt in our diets as demands on hydration increase is enough. Sweating is an easy way to tell that you're getting this right. If you're sweating in the heat, you're doing something right. Beginning to cramp is a sign that you're out of balance one way or another and a simple solution is to add more of the one you've been consuming the least, be it water or salt. For most of us, it will be water, but if you exercise a lot or eat a low-sodium diet, it may be salt. This unscientific protocol is perfectly adequate to keep most of us functioning fine through the summer.

When it gets hot

We're pretty good at adjusting to heat over time. By far, we're at most risk when the weather initially changes. It takes around 5 to 7 days to adjust to living in elevated temperatures. During this period, your body undergoes a series of changes that makes continued exposure to hot conditions more endurable. If you handle the adjustment carefully, you're most likely set for the season, save for those times you choose to put yourself in an exposed situation.

Obviously, hydrating well during these periods is vital, but other methods of staying cool should also be considered. Covering exposed skin with light-colored, loose-fitting clothing is helpful, as is using sunblock liberally on all exposed areas. Nothing makes this transition more challenging than allowing your skin to get burnt on your first day in the sun. This is also hat season. Your scalp is susceptible, even if you have a lot of hair.

If you do get burnt, keep your skin bathed in lotion and out of the sun. If you're forced outside for hours on end, especially doing something physical, consider dumping water over your head or on your neck every so often. Continually exposing your body to something cold will keep your body core temperature low and cardiac drift (a state wherein you heart beats faster to keep up with a climbing body temperature) from occurring.

Dealing with acute situations

Once you've become overheated, you want to reduce your body temperature as quickly as you can. This has been debated over the years. In fact, during the 19th century, public pumps had warning signs stating that drinking cold water during excessive heat could kill you. Modern and recent studies have shown the opposite. First, that "it's quite difficult, if not impossible" to kill someone by cooling them quickly when they're overheated, and second, that the quicker you can cool someone off, the faster they will recover.

Cold-water immersion is the most effective way to lower a high body temperature. Of course, it's not always practical or possible but any step in this direction will help alleviate the situation. If nothing cold is accessible, use whatever is available. Warm water on the skin, or almost anything damp, will still create convection with the air and mimic sweat. Getting to the shade or covering all exposed skin helps, too.

If the situation is dire, or prolonged exposure to heat has occurred, medical advice should be sought out, even if the situation seems under control. Excessive exposure can cause trauma that's not always apparent, and some amount of medical support, like an IV drip of electrolyte solution, can keep the body from incurring any long-term damage.

Maurice Ndukwu, of the University of Chicago Medical Center, warns that heat stroke is more serious than it's often given credit for. In the Annals of Internal Medicine he states, "Classic heat stroke is a deadly disorder, more complex, more often fatal, and more permanently disabling than the literature on this order would predict. This [study] drives home the crucial importance of prevention and rapid diagnosis and treatment."

Source: Casa D. J.; McDermott, B. P.; Lee, E. C.; Yeargin, S. W.; Armstrong, L. E.; Maresh, C. M. "Cold Water Immersion: The Gold Standard for Exertional Heatstroke Treatment." Exercise and Sport Sciences Reviews: July 24, 2007.

To find out more about heat exhaustion, check out this story from Beachbody Network News (BNN).

And for more health and fitness news stories, tune in to new episodes of BNN every Tuesday and Friday exclusively at TeamBeachbody.com.

© Aaron Potts - visit Fitness Destinations for more great information about weight loss, health, and overall fitness!
Fitness Destinations is proudly sponsored by the incredible products and services provided by Team Beachbody!

The concept sounded good on paper when I considered it, but to be honest, I had my doubts if a full-on weight loss and muscle-toning effort was going to be as successful outside of the gym as inside. After successfully pulling it off, however, I'm glad to say that not only is it possible, but it is recommended!

I figured this whole thing out about a month ago when I was getting ready to go on a mini-vacation to St. Pete Beach, FL. I had just moved to Daytona Beach, which is on the opposite coast of Florida, and I had just over 1 month before a long weekend that I had planned in St. Pete Beach. As most people do before a tropical vacation, I wanted to trim up a bit before the trip. However, after having just moved, I did not yet have a gym membership set up anywhere, nor did I want to workout at home.

How Did I do It? 

Lower Body Exercise 

Living in the beach side community of Daytona Beach, FL, I got into the habit of taking my bicycle almost everywhere. Pretty much everything that I do is within 3 miles of my house, so hopping on my bike is usually an option to get from Point A to Point B. My house is actually on the non-ocean side of the Port Orange Causeway, a steep climb over the Inter-Coastal Waterway that leads directly down to the water's edge of the Atlanta Ocean. The total one-way distance is about 2 miles, and I made that trip at least 2 or 3 times each week.

In addition, Daytona Beach "proper," i.e. – where the real fun is – sits about 8 miles north of my house. Well, I didn't move all the way down here not to enjoy the neighborhood, so I also resolved to go up to Daytona Beach on my bike at least 2 or 3 times each week. Now remember, most of Florida is pretty flat, so it's not like these trips were constant up and down hills – just steady pedaling. On the other hand, I usually had my 15-lb computer strapped to my back, in addition to water and other supplies that I would take each time I left the house for a journey on my bike.

Upper Body & Core Exercises

Although my "primary" work right now is on the Internet, since I do work for myself, I can decide each day what I want to do and what I don't. So it was as I was getting ready to go on my mini-vacation that I wanted to bring in some extra cash, so I hired myself out to do things such as helping people move, doing landscaping work, etc. I'm in pretty good shape, so it was easy for me to find work – people are always looking for a strong back and a good work ethic to help them out.

I ended up getting hired to help a guy "dig a ditch". I put that in quotations because the job ended up being much more involved than that, the ditch ended up being HUGE, and the guy I was working for turned out to be a really great guy whom I am glad to have gotten to know.

Digging ditches is very hard work, and given the fact that part of the ditch was in a very cramped spot where no leverage could be had, and the entire ditch was covered with gravel that had to be shoveled away before digging could even start, the job ended up being quite the workout!

Sometimes with his help, and sometimes by myself, we spent a combined total of over 5 full days working on the job. All of the following activities were part of the process:

• Shoveling
• Pushing
• Pulling
• Balancing
• Twisting
• Lifting
• Holding

Most of those activities were done with at least a huge shovel full of dirt in my hands, and often while perched precariously on loose rocks, sands, or gravel. Long story short, I worked really hard!

By the time I got home at the end of any of our work days, I was tired, sore, cut, bruised, scraped, and just generally beat up.

But I felt GREAT!

By intensely pushing myself to the max (I'm just a hard worker like that), not only did I push my body to the max, but after spending a very long time sitting in front of a keyboard, I pushed my mind to the max as well.

Nutrition

This part of the story cracks me up, because it is so "off the mark" that it's hard to believe it even worked. Basically, I ate whatever I wanted to.

A standard day was Pop-Tarts for breakfast, Burger King for lunch (large-size everything), and Ramen Noodles and hot dogs for dinner.

No 5 or 6 meals per day, which is my normal recommendation. No real healthy food to speak of, yet plenty of protein. No fresh fruits or vegetables of any kind. For an entire month!

The End Result?

After a month of riding my bike everywhere, working REALLY hard at outdoor labor, and basically eating like a bachelor, I had:

• Lost more bodyfat in a shorter period of time than ever before in my life
• Defined the muscles in my arms, shoulders, and legs to a degree they had never been before
• Built up my core stabilization muscles to a previously unheard of level, including visible musculature that had never been there before
• Proven to myself that I could still work as hard and push myself as hard as if I was 27 instead of 37

By the time I got to the party in St. Pete Beach, several of my friends commented on the fact that I had lost weight, clothes that had been snug even when I was a personal trainer now fit more loosely than ever, and I had the energy and the motivation to basically party like a rock star for 4 days straight.

So, am I recommending that you abandon all advice about structured exercise, proper nutrition, and scientifically-proven methods of weight loss and physical fitness? Hardly.

There is a time and a place for that type of training program, and I'm sure that I'll be back on that type of program eventually myself. However, in the meantime, if you're cramming for a family reunion, trying to lose the fat before a vacation, or just trying get to the bar before your belly does, consider just hopping on a bike and going outside for some good old-fashioned hard work.

You might just feel absolutely wonderful on top of the fact that you'll be accomplishing your weight loss goals at the same time!

In order to have noticeable muscular gain, there is a need of following up the diet tips, suggested by the weight loss trainers. If you want to have pretty good bodily figure, the ingestion of abs diet on the regular basis is very effectual. You may give order of purchasing adipex online in the cheap rates, much secured orders.

© Aaron Potts - visit Fitness Destinations for more great information about weight loss, health, and overall fitness!
Fitness Destinations is proudly sponsored by the incredible products and services provided by Team Beachbody!

For something so important, why is it that so many people refuse to try to do it? In my years as a personal trainer I can’t count how many times people said, “I can’t run”.

Translated: “I’m not willing to put forth the effort to run.”

Well, the ability to run could literally save your life someday, so I’ve put together this primer that discusses what it takes to learn how to run really fast, and I have divided it up into 3 easily digestible sections.

Angle of Attack

One of the things to consider with any exercise program is that the human body is not a static machine that only works under very precise conditions and at very precise angles.

Quite to the contrary, the human body is actually a multi-dimensional machine that needs to be trained in a multi-dimensional manner in order to perform at peak efficiency.

When it comes to running, that means changing the angle at which you put pressure on the bones, tendons, ligaments, and muscles that are used while running.

The easiest way to do that is to simply run on surfaces that are not perfectly flat. Although running indoors on a treadmill has advantages such as precise measurement of the activity itself, if all you ever do is run on a treadmill, you will limit the growth of the musculature that is used while running.

Ways to increase both the angles of stress that are put on your muscles as well as to increase the use of supporting muscles and connective tissues include:

• Running up and down hills, although modifying your gate on the downhill side to avoid shin splints
• Running on different surfaces such as grass, sand, or running cross country though fields and wooded areas

Cross Training

To receive a similar benefit to changing the angle of muscle usage when running, do things other than just running, even if your primary goal is to increase your speed or capacity for running.

Your body can only handle so much pressure, especially when pressure is repeatedly put on the same bodily tissues over and over again over the long-term. Any long-distance runner can attest to the fact that knee and hip problems are an occupational hazard for any veteran runner.

One of the best ways to increase your running speed and capacity, and also to avoid injury, is to work on your cardiovascular endurance by doing activities other than running. The cardiovascular system is as much a part of being a good runner as the musculoskeletal system, so train it accordingly.

Some good ways to cross train your running muscles as well as your cardiovascular system include:

• Hiking
• Rollerblading
• Moderate to high intensity bicycle riding and indoor exercise bikes
• Stair steppers to work the calf muscles, and stair climbers to work the bigger leg muscles
• Elliptical or other revolution-based cardiovascular training machines at your local fitness facility

Interval Training

One of the most effective but often overlooked training modalities is called interval training. In a nutshell, interval training involves constantly changing the rate of intensity for any given exercise, forcing your body to learn how to adapt to constantly changing energy needs.

Interval training is normally done on a timed basis, although it can also be done both indoors and outdoors by basing your training intervals on distance or geographical objects. Indoors, you can measure distance on most exercise equipment, and outdoors you can use such things as telephone poles, trees, houses, or pretty much anything that can be seen while exercising outdoors.

Basically all you need to do is decide what amount of time or what distance you are going to run at a given level of intensity, and then once the time or distance goal has been reached, you switch to a higher or lower level of intensity. For example:

• Run for 3 minutes at your normal comfortable running speed, and then run as fast as you can for 1 full minute before dropping back to your normal speed
• If running outside, run at your normal speed for 5 lengths between telephone poles, and then run full-out for 2 lengths before slowing back down again.

The possibilities are endless, and you can change them up to keep from getting bored with the same routine, and to keep your body constantly adapting to a new training situation.

This has the effect of exercising both your muscles as well as your cardiovascular system through a greater range of use, giving you a distinct advantage when it comes time for a race, a competition that you have with yourself, or possibly even the need to run for your life!

A side benefit to interval training is that the confusion it causes with your bodily systems tends to lend itself to both a higher metabolism, as well as a very rapid loss of bodyfat.

Conclusion

Running may not be for everyone, and there are people who truly can’t run due to some sort of physical condition. However, most people can run.

If you are one of those people who has been saying for years that you can’t do it, don’t you think it’s time you started pushing your body to its limits, and seeing some amazing results from that effort?

© Aaron Potts - visit Fitness Destinations for more great information about weight loss, health, and overall fitness!
Fitness Destinations is proudly sponsored by the incredible products and services provided by Team Beachbody!

Many of the exercises were exactly what I expected when I first got access to the database, yet there were several that were unique and even surprising to me, despite spending 3 years as a personal trainer!

The exercises that I finally decided to use in the guide consist of many different types of movements, yet they all share the unique fact that they can be done with absolutely no equipment. If you have access to equipment, then you can still use it to make the present list of exercises even longer by adding in external resistance, but that is not necessary.

The goal with this guide was to give people a useful list of body weight exercises that they could do without having access to any equipment, and I have succeeded in doing just that!

All together, the exercises fell into the following 10 categories:

• Chest exercises
• Leg exercises
• Abdominal and Core Stabilization exercises
• Back exercises
• Cardiovascular training exercises
• Tricep exercises
• Pilates movements
• Yoga poses
• Flexibility exercises

In addition to the category listing of exercises, I also added in several workouts using some of the most effective movements, and those can be found in the eBook, as well as accessed online.

All told, I am pleased with the way that the product came out, and I am also pleased with the new payment options that I came up with.

For one, the book itself is less than it was originally going to be, and for two, I have added in a low-cost option that will allow people to just get access to the online exercise database, if they choose to do so.

You can get all of the details over at my main product page at the Today is that Day website, or you can simply click right here to check it out. Enjoy!

© Aaron Potts - visit Fitness Destinations for more great information about weight loss, health, and overall fitness!
Fitness Destinations is proudly sponsored by the incredible products and services provided by Team Beachbody!

10 Easy ways to Make Exercise a Habit 

Let's face it: it's not all that difficult to start a fitness routine. After all, most of us have done it more than once.

The trouble, of course, comes with sticking to it. All too often, our initial enthusiasm and energy wanes, we get distracted by other things going on in our lives, or we don't think we're seeing results quickly enough – and we throw in the towel.

Yet many people do manage to hang in there, and would no sooner skip their regular workout than their morning shower. What's their secret?

A recent study by researcher Diane Klein, PhD, shed some light on the subject. Long-term exercisers (who had been working out for an average of 13 years) were asked to rank what motivated them to keep up with their regimes.

Their answers might surprise you. The exercisers were not as concerned with powerful pecs and awesome abs as they were with feeling good and being healthy.

Here's how the study participants ranked their motivators:

• Fitness
• Feelings of well-being
• Pep and energy
• Enjoyment of the exercise
• Making exercise a priority
• Sleeping better
• Feeling alert
• Being relaxed
• Weight management
• Appearance

So, once you have your priorities in the right place, how can you become one of the fitness faithful?

Compiled are 10 tips for making fitness a habit in your life:

1. Do a variety of activities you enjoy. And remember, there's no rule that says you have to go to a gym or buy equipment.

   "We've shifted our perceptions from regimented exercise to physical activity," says Klein, assistant professor of exercise, sports and leisure studies, and director of gerontology at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville.

2. Having a variety of activities- weight lifting, walking, running, tennis, cycling, aerobics classes — will ensure that you can do something regardless of the weather or time of day.
3. Commit to another person. The social aspect of exercise is important for me," says Wanda Stevens, a stay-at-home mom in Austin, Texas. "I'll let myself off, but if I've agreed to walk with a friend after dinner, I won't let them down."

   She is six weeks into an exercise program, thanks in part to her husband's support. Roy Stevens, who works as a management consultant, has become her "in-house personal trainer." They work out together every morning, doing a combination of aerobics, strength training, Tae Bo, and stretching. If he's out of town, he gives her a wake-up call, and she takes the dog for a walk.

4. Make exercise a priority. "It has to be a non-negotiable," says Roy Stevens. There's another advantage to making exercise non-negotiable. Friends and family members learn that it's part of your identity, and give up saying things like, "Why don't you take it easy today?"
5. Exercise first thing in the morning. With two preschool children, Wanda Stevens couldn't find time to work out except on a hit-and-miss basis. Any number of things could sabotage her good intentions to walk or go to Pilates class after dinner. But all her excuses vanished once she started getting up before the kids so she could work out.

   Experts agree that a morning schedule is best. If you go to a gym, it should be located between your home and work. Exercise, take a shower, and you're energized for the day.

6. Or, exercise on your way home from work. The next best thing to exercising first thing in the morning is to do it on your way home from work.

   Don't go home first. There aren't a lot of people who are so motivated that after they go home and change clothes will go back out again and exercise.

7. Exercise even when you're "too tired". Chances are, you'll feel better after exercising. It energizes. You breathe deeply, and your body makes better use of the oxygen exchange. You'll get an exercise-induced euphoria during the activity and for some time after.
8. Log your activity. Write down the things that are important to you. It could be how much time you exercise each day, how many steps you walked, how far you ran or cycled, what you weighed, etc.

   Some people make a game of it. You may have heard of runners calculating the miles it would take to run from their homes to Boston (home of the famous marathon), figuring how far they run in an average week and setting a target date for "arriving" in Boston.

9. Be aware of all the indicators of progress. It's great when your clothes fit better and you can lift heavier weights or work out longer without getting exhausted.

   But there are a slew of other progress indicators, such as:

   • Getting a good night's sleep.
   • Thinking more clearly.
   • Having more energy.
   • Realizing your muscles aren't screaming after you've helped a friend move furniture.
   • Seeing your resting heart rate drop over time.
   • Hearing your doctor congratulate you on improved cholesterol, blood pressure, bone density, triglycerides, and blood sugars.
10. Walk – with a pedometer (or a dog). "If you enjoy walking and haven't exercised for awhile, 10 minutes three times a day will give you 30 minutes," says Klein.

    Use a pedometer, and work up to at least 10,000 steps a day. "Nobody starts out with 10,000 steps," Klein says. Find out what your daily average is, and, the next week, strive to walk 300 extra steps each day. Increase your steps each week.

    "Better yet, walk the dog," Klein says. That's how she motivated her sister to exercise. "Twice a day she walks her dog, which is good for both of them and provides companionship."

11. Reward yourself. Are you telling yourself that you don't deserve a reward for something you should be doing anyway — or that once you can zip your jeans without lying on the bed, that will be reward enough? Well, honestly, how inspiring is that?

    Experts say that making behavior changes is hard, and rewards motivate. So decide on a goal and a reward, and work toward it. You might buy yourself a video you've wanted after you stick to your fitness plan for one month, or buy new walking shoes when you achieve 5,000 steps a day. Do whatever works for you.

Original Post: WebMD.com

SOURCES: American College of Sports Medicine's Health and Fitness Journal, March 2004. Diane Klein, PhD, assistant professor of exercise, sports and leisure studies; director, gerontology, University of Tennessee, Knoxville. Roy and Wanda Stevens, Austin, Texas. WebMD Weight Loss Clinic feature, "Conquer Your Fitness Fears."

© Aaron Potts - visit Fitness Destinations for more great information about weight loss, health, and overall fitness!
Fitness Destinations is proudly sponsored by the incredible products and services provided by Team Beachbody!

Although the gym is a great place to train, and the workouts that you do may be effective, you are setting yourself up for failure if you can only workout given a very specific set of circumstances.

What happens if you can't get to the gym for some reason? What if your picture-perfect workout program is disrupted because of a crowd, or because part of the gym is being remodeled? What if your favorite aerobics class gets canceled? What if you are simply late, and your entire workout schedule is thrown off track?

These are just a few examples of how relying on an iron-clad workout program will set you up to fail if things don't go exactly like they are supposed to. In addition, your body will get used to your "perfect" program, and you'll be back at square 1 before you know it. Leave the gym behind and find other ways to get some exercise!

© Aaron Potts - visit Fitness Destinations for more great information about weight loss, health, and overall fitness!
Fitness Destinations is proudly sponsored by the incredible products and services provided by Team Beachbody!

Well, we may not have the same child-like activities lined up to get outside for anymore, but that doesn't mean that we shouldn't still get out and enjoy the world! Exercising outdoors has many benefits, and they include the following:

- Little or no equipment needed to get a good workout

- No crowded gyms or obnoxious people to put up with

- No driving time to the local fitness facility

- No need to put on makeup or special clothing to workout at the gym

- Vitamin D enhancing sunshine for our skin

- The ability to workout anytime, anywhere – even on vacation

- Two words: Fresh Air

There are probably other reasons that you can think of why an outdoor workout would fit into your particular lifestyle, so now all you have to do is learn what kind of activities can be done outside.

Refer to the following Top 7 list of exercises that are sure to leave you sweaty, worn out, and feeling great when it's all over!

LUNGES

Like all exercises, lunges should be done with absolutely perfect form. When done correctly, a lunge will work every single muscle in your legs at some point throughout the movement, including the all important Gluteus Maximus (that's the primary buttocks muscle, for those of you not anatomically inclined).

Variations on lunges that require no equipment include; Standing Lunges, Alternating Lunges, Elevated Lunges, Rear Lunges, and Walking Lunges.

PUSH UPS

Push ups have always been one of the most effective upper body exercises, but they have somehow gotten lost in the world of shiny chest press machines and fleets of various types of exercise benches. However, the push up is still an incredibly productive exercise, and it requires no equipment whatsoever.

The 3 basic push up movements include Standard Grip, Wide Grip, and Close Grip. Alternating those 3 types will ensure maximal stimulation to the chest, shoulders, and triceps. In addition, you can elevate your hands to make the movement somewhat easier, or elevate your feet to make the movement somewhat harder.

Also, if you are really feeling brave, you can even throw in some Bounce and Clap Push Ups!

SQUATS

Many people simply don't understand the incredible power of doing a Squat the right way. Through improper instruction, inappropriate form, and just plain laziness, the incredible effectiveness of the Squat has been lost in the mix.

Variations including Standing Squats, One-Leg Squats, Plie Squats, Wide-Stance Squats, and Overhead Squats. Think you can't get enough stimulus out of Squats? Try doing 50 perfectly formed repetitions and see how tired your legs are!

STEP UPS

Brutal is the best word to describe this exercise when done properly! Using nothing more than a picnic bench, a piece of playground equipment, or even just a decent size rock, you simply step up onto your elevated surface, step down, and then repeat on the other side alternating back and forth.

By keeping your back straight and your head up the entire time, you will maximize recruitment of all of your leg muscles, and you will get an incredible cardiovascular workout as well. Go for perfect form and you will quickly see the benefit of this great exercise.

CHIN UPS

The outdoor version of Chin Ups and Pull ups can be done using anything from a low-hanging tree branch to any number of different pieces of playground equipment.

When done properly, Chin Ups and Pull Ups will humble most people, even avid exercisers. Bring your body up completely until your chin is at or above your hands, and lower back to the start under control. Repeat for as many as you can do!

UPHILL SPRINTS

Don't try this one until you can run a good 100-yard dash on level ground! This exercise is just what it sounds like – running uphill. Run up a decent size hill as fast as you can, walk back to the bottom, and repeat. Bring oxygen, but leave your pride at home, or else the hill will take it from you!

DUCK WALKS

This exercise is so simple, yet about as hard as it gets. Simply squat down until your thighs are at or below parallel to the ground, stay in that position, and start walking. Go about 10 steps and then walk backwards to your starting point. Repeat as many times as necessary (which won't be many) to reach total exhaustion!

As you can see, doing outdoor exercises has all of the benefits listed above including one benefit that wasn't listed – they are hard! If you are up to the challenge and sick of the gym, give your body and your mind an Earth-moment and get outside and play!

© Aaron Potts - visit Fitness Destinations for more great information about weight loss, health, and overall fitness!
Fitness Destinations is proudly sponsored by the incredible products and services provided by Team Beachbody!

Structured sports such as football, volleyball, tennis and similar activities are all great ways to burn off some extra calories. Or, to make it even more interesting, put together a little outdoor fitness session for you and some of your friends. Using nothing but bodyweight and a little bit of imagination, there is no end to the fun that you can have running, jumping, catching, pushing, pulling, hopping, sprinting, lunging, squatting, etc. The list is endless!

If you want to add a little bit of resistance, grab a 6 or 8 pound Medicine Ball and toss that thing around for awhile. If your arms don't get a good workout doing that, then you are doing it wrong!

© Aaron Potts - visit Fitness Destinations for more great information about weight loss, health, and overall fitness!
Fitness Destinations is proudly sponsored by the incredible products and services provided by Team Beachbody!

When one asks "Is running safe?", the answer is pretty basic. It's a normal human movement and activity. Like any normal human movement, as long as common sense is applied to the training program, then yes, running is perfectly safe. "Is it effective?" Many people report more intensity or other fitness or weight loss related improvements when running than when engaging in any other form of cardio.

Some people will answer these statements by saying things like "I am too overweight to run", or "I have never been a good runner". It is true that running or not running needs to be considered based on each individual's body type and exercise history.

However, consider this: Running requires you to pick your legs up higher than when you are walking, and to bring your heel down, followed by your toe. Who ever said you had to do that at a high rate of speed? Try picking your knees up nice and high the next time you go for a walk or get on the treadmill, and see if you don't notice the completely safe and effective difference between that and just going for a stroll!

© Aaron Potts - visit Fitness Destinations for more great information about weight loss, health, and overall fitness!
Fitness Destinations is proudly sponsored by the incredible products and services provided by Team Beachbody!