The Importance of Fitness: Lose Weight!

Yesterday, I discussed how important gratitude is to living an inspired life. Gratitude is the first of three categories of life that must be balanced in order to live happily. The second is the physical. You are not your body, but you do dwell within it. You would not let your house fall into disrepair if you could help it, so why would you do it to your body? When you are in good physical condition, you are in a position to allow the full potential of self to come through. You feel better about yourself, and when you feel good, good things will happen.

Many people say they don't have enough time to dedicate to personal fitness. I say, you don't have enough time not to. Cardiovascular activities increase your life span. Make sure you spend some time each day getting your heart rate up. You know the drill. Run, bike, walk or swim. Be creative and do things that entertain you. Find something you can do that you really enjoy, and it won't feel like "Working Out" at all.

Interval training is a great way to increase weight loss benefits from Cardio workouts. An example of interval training would be running at full speed for thirty seconds, and then jogging slowly for thirty. The intervals burn far more calories than long distance running because your body does not have the chance to adjust to the calorie loss. Don't let your body cheat you out of your hard earned weight loss. Play with interval training!

Both men and women can enjoy the benefits of weight lifting as well. Muscles burn fat and raise your metabolism. They also can raise your self-confidence. Overweight men often have a great time turning muscle into fat. You already have plenty to work with, and you'd be surprised how fast your strength will increase after a few weeks at the gym.

Anyone who lifts weights should do compound exercises. The three pillars of a weight lifting routine are squats, dead lifts, and bench press. These lifts burn the most calories and build the most muscle because they activate the peak muscle fibers and put the most stress on your body. They can even increase levels of free testosterone (the muscle building hormone.)

Building muscle and losing fat can have you looking and feeling your best. All it takes is a little time, and you can start today! Let me know if you have any more questions about weight loss and muscle building. If you would like to know more I will post more specific articles about the physical aspect of an inspired life.