Define Physical Fitness

What is your perception of the term physical fitness. How do you define it? If you were to start a new fitness program today how would you start? Are you unsure what is fact or fiction? If so you are not alone.

Let's start with the term itself. Merriam-webster.com defines it as: the quality or state of being fit.  Kind of vague huh? I think in simple terms this means are you healthy or not? Are you over weight for you age and height? Are your muscles being used adequately? What is the state of your cardiovascular health?


Let's face it, our culture has gotten lazy. We no longer have to work for anything? It used to be that we had to hunt and gather or farm. Now we can simply drive our cars through the drive thru or to a store to get food. And what we are ingesting is no good for us. 

Being physically fit is now something we have to think about. It seems like a chore instead of a way of life. In my personal life, I've learned to reverse that way of thinking.

For more great articles go to: http://fitness-training-guide.com and http://benefits-of-physical-health.blogspot.com

What exercise burns the most belly fat?

Belly fat is so unappealing for most people. Most of us want to get rid of it but we're not really sure how. We exercise doing sit ups or crunches until we're blue in the face. As we get older it seems to only get worse and our lack of concern seems to diminish with age. I think all of us would like to sport six pack abs but the truth about getting them has been lost.

If you watch the late night infomercials, you will be inundated with a host of devices that magically transform your abs into Brad Pitt's. It seems like there is a new one every week. So what are we supposed to do?

What exercise burns the most belly fat??? Putting down the remote, the Ho Ho's and getting off the couch. Yes folks it's that simple... Get out and do something and stop feeding your face. The more cardio you can do, the better. At the same time, watch your daily calorie intake.  There are a lot of very great tools out there to help you. Look at http://myfitnesspal.com for example. This site has been a life saver for me and it also has an excellent online community for support.

For more great articles go to: http://fitness-training-guide.com and http://benefits-of-physical-health.blogspot.com

How Many Reps Does It Take To Build Muscle?

If you do any research online or read books on body building, you will soon realize that there are a wide variety of opinions on how many reps you should do to increase muscle.  The opinions can very greatly depending on who you listen to. On top of that, there are a variety of opinions on how many sets to do.

With that being said, here is my two cents. My main goal when working out is to fatigue each muscle group that I am zeroing in on.  For example, if I am doing bicep curls, I usually do enough weight to do between 10-12 reps on my first set. The last rep should burn. 

I do two more sets with rests in between. My goal is to push another 10-12 reps. Realistically, I usually get to 6 or 7 reps on my second set and 2-3 on my last set.

The main thing to focus on is doing the exercise correctly and slowly. Too often, I see people rush through their routines. They are doing an injustice to themselves by not being a little more patient.

For more articles go to http://fitness-training-guide.com and http://benefits-of-physical-health.blogspot.com/

How Many Calories Are Burned Dancing?

How many calories are burned from dancing depends on the type of dance and for how long. Based on results from calorielab.com, an individual who weighs 150lbs will burn the following amounts per hour.

Type of Dance	For 1 Hour OF Activity
Ballet or modern, jitterbug, twist, jazz and tap	258
General dancing: Swing dancing, hula, Greek, Middle Eastern, flamenco and belly	238
Fast Ballroom Dancing: Line dancing, polka, Disco, country, Irish step dancing, folk and square	238
Slow Ballroom: Foxtrot, waltz, chacha, slow dancing, samba, tango and mambo	136
Traditional American Indian dancing: Including Anishinaabe Jingle Dancing	306
General Fast Ballroom Dancing	306

As you can see, if you are interested in dance, there is a side benefit of physical fitness involved.

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Do You Have An Eating Disorder Gerald Butler?

So Gerard Butler has joined the many celebrities who alter their weight for movie roles. Some say he looks ill or has an eating disorder. I'm sure from a body weight standpoint, he is probably where he should be. However, if you read the article from the Huffington Post, he speaks of cleansing after binge eating.

Sounds like the definition of eating disorder to me.

For more articles go to http://fitness-training-guide.com and http://benefits-of-physical-health.blogspot.com/

Losing Weight Fast And Naturally

Losing weight has always been a struggle for me. After a few lost months at the gym, I started back again last week. I had put added about 10lbs in those few months. I wanted to do it fast but also healthy and naturally. I started by limiting my caloric intake to 1850 per day. By my estimation, I would lose 2 pounds per week. I also started a cardio program. My goal is to burn an addition 1000 calories between running and working out.

So, I've really been watching what I eat and exercising lately. I've been watching my calories religiously everyday and I've almost always hit my marks.  Frustration soon set in because I lost almost no weight right away.

Still, I wasn't deterred. So, this morning I stepped on the scales and hallelujah I was showing a -3 based on my previous weight.

For more articles go to http://fitness-training-guide.com and http://benefits-of-physical-health.blogspot.com