Posts Tagged ‘Fitness’

Connect the Fitness, Fun Fit Tips for Educators Looking to Inspire Healthy Lifestyles for Grade School Age Kids

Saturday, July 31st, 2010

When it comes to our kids’ shape, we want to inspire them. We see everything they could become and we want them to see it for themselves. We try to inspire kids so they want to live a healthy and active lifestyle, so they can reach the potential we see in them. But where does that inspiration come from? How can kids see the creation of a healthy lifestyle as a fun thing? How do we make learning about shape and appropriateness something they can actively participate in? And most importantly how can we inspire the kids in a way where they take responsibility for the development of their fit and active lifestyle?

It seems like a tall order. But the key here is inspiration. It might seem like a hard won commodity, but all my experiences as a teacher have proven that inspiring shape starts with one simple step:

Believing in their potential, showing them you believe, and engaging them to find and make their own healthy lifestyle.

A further way to reckon about this simple step comes from the relationship between a teacher and a client. A excellent teacher always acts a coach for their client; while the client strives in competition with themselves, challenging themselves to reach their goals and meet their potential.

When it comes to our kids, our job as educators is the same: Help the kids see their potential, instill the skills and knowledge they can use to make their own healthy lifestyle, and let them have some fun responsibility it.

An incredibly fun example of an activity that we can do with our kids to inspire the creation of a healthy lifestyle is the “Healthy and Fit Olympics”. In this activity the entire class is one team competing hostile to themselves, with the teacher playing the coach. This way the entire class acts a team trying to beat their own personal bests from the beginning of the competition. At the end of the year, the champions (everyone who beats their own personal bests) get medals that the class can design for themselves. And if the entire class as a team reaches all their goals: the entire class gets a trophy.

The activity starts at the beginning of the year: the kids make a movie, comprised of interviews with each kid and footage of each kid participating in a physical activity. Then all year long the class trains to become “healthy and fit champions”.

A huge component of the “Healthy and Fit Olympics” is the activities to get ready for the competition. Some prime examples of multi-faceted “training” activities come from adapting the ancient stand-by: the relay race into a fun hybrid of a race with strong emphasis on nutrition.

Relay Race One: Racing Towards Shape

Have the kids trace an outline of a healthy body and post in on a wall as a goal. Then have each group of racers cut out seven pictures of healthy foods/activities. Have the kids use the healthy pictures as the hand-off racing the healthy pictures towards the goal. Whatever team’s Body is full of the healthy pictures first wins. (UPGYM will even grant your class trophies for the winning teams).

Relay Race Two: Connecting the Appropriateness

Have the class choose on a picture of shape, then make an outline of the picture—in dots. Each kid then picks a dot and races towards a spot on the floor corresponding to their dot’s location on the picture. When all the kids are in their places, you get involved by running around “connecting their dots” thus finishing the picture.

Some Other Training Activities

• Agility: Eraser drills

• Speed: Sprinting drills

• Coordination: Playing catch, throwing medicine balls

• Flexibility: Lunges and squats

• Balance: Release leg hops

For examples of these and other activities visit: www.survivalseattle.com]

At the end of the year videotape the competition and the award ceremony and mind it with the kids. They will have worked hard all year to gather about what makes a healthy lifestyle. Letting them mind their routine will solidify the fact that they reached their goals and lived up to their potential. Their experiences over the year training to become a “Healthy and Fit Champion” will carry on, providing them with self-confidence and skills to live a healthy and fit life.

It all starts with inspiration. If we believe in our kids, and challenge them to set their own goals and reach their potential—if they know you believe they can do it and their whole class (as their team) is rooting for them—They will become the champions of their own appropriateness.

Rest Your Way Towards Outstanding Fitness Program Results

Wednesday, June 23rd, 2010

Far too many workout warriors are not seeing the physical appropriateness program results they deserve. They reckon they are on the most effective, efficient workout plot possible; but they are only kidding themselves.

Take a quick glance around your appropriateness center. How many physiques really do change? How many individuals look confused as they mill around from exercise to exercise working at 50% capacity? Honestly, how many people are simply wasting their valuable time in the gym? If you are truthful, the answer is a whole lot of people. Most reckon they are on the best appropriateness program ever, but are really on an extremely ineffective, inefficient workout plot. The sad thing is they don’t even realize it. It really does not have to be this way.

One of the most vital aspects of any workout program is exercise intensity. Especially in the world of strength training, intensity is a must for results. But, the newest appropriateness program buzzword is rest between training sessions.  There is no such thing as overtraining, just under-resting.

You probably reckon I am crazy by saying rest more to get fit. Well, it is right. Rest is an exercise program variable that must be incorporated into your physical appropriateness program. If not, results significantly suffer.

The importance of rest between exercise bouts is becoming more, and more vital as the research starts to roll in. As a matter of fact, many more workout program research studies are going on in hopes of shedding more set alight on the importance of rest. It is the new hot topic in exercise science.

Exercise intensity is the stimulus that triggers the physiological adaptive response. Thus, improves your appropriateness. The appropriateness program session gets the ball rolling. But, during rest, is when all the positive adaptive work is concluded. Failure to grant enough rest between workouts will promptly small circuit your appropriateness plot results.

So what is the optimal rest necessary in your appropriateness training program to elicit brilliant results?  It really depends upon the type of exercise, and the workout intensity. It is simple!  Aerobic, low intensity, training requires less rest between workout bouts. Higher intensity, shorter duration exercises, such as strength training, requires more muscle recuperative rest between workouts.

Exactly how much appropriateness workout program rest varies from individual to individual, and is largely dependent upon actual results, genetics, and nutrition. Only you can determine if you are getting optimal rest between appropriateness program sessions. Gone are the days of a Monday, Wednesday, and Friday training schedule.

How do you determine the optimal number of rest days in your appropriateness workout plot? Simple, you track. If you are seeing positive quantitative results by tracking routine, then your rest time is considered optimal. If your routine has decreased, or remains the same, then more rest between workouts is mandatory for an adaptive response to occur.

So remember, in order to determine your optimal exercise program rest, it is vital to track your workouts. It is that simple! If you are not tracking your exercise program sessions, then you are making a huge mistake. How would you know if you are getting optimal rest between training sessions if you are not effectively tracking results?

Pay closer attention to rest in your appropriateness program regimen. It is one of the most neglected aspects of a workout plot. Responsibility so will guarantee you are headed in the right direction to life on the most effective, efficient workout plot possible.

Fitness Gyms For The Home

Tuesday, June 15th, 2010

If you’ve chose this is the year to get serious about your appropriateness congratulations are in order. Just making the choice is a fantastic start. But between family, work, and other pressing engagements in an all too busy day when the heck will you ever get to the gym? Have you considered investing in one of the many appropriateness gyms for the home?

It’s really the answer. With just a small help from us we’ll show you how to find the perfect appropriateness equipment for your home. With so many appropriateness gyms on the market it can be a bit overwhelming trying to figure out which gym is the right one for you. Heck if you do it right you will choose equipment that your entire family could use. Of course if you have a medical condition always check with your doctor first before undergoing a new appropriateness program.

Just like different commercial appropriateness gyms have different equipment to offer their members different home gyms also have different equipment to offer. It’s a lot simpler to stay on track with your appropriateness program if you know what it is you want out of your work out. You should also figure out what your current appropriateness level is.

You have treadmills, rowing machines, stationary bikes, place a stop to country ski machines, free weights, and even multi machines to choose from. Home appropriateness gyms can be as simple or as complex as you want. The only other thing limiting you is your budget.

There’s nothing cheap about home appropriateness gyms. At least not the quality ones and you should never compromise poor quality for a cheap price. A treadmill is always a fantastic buy if you have the room. You can vary your workout, increase the intensity, burn calories and get your cardio workout. Choose a belt driven model that has a safety shut off and that the treadmill itself is wide enough. Make sure you also know what the warranty is.

Home appropriateness gyms also do well with rowing machines and they offer an all over work out that has minimal impact on joints. Once you get the hang of the rowing apparatus it is an brilliant piece of appropriateness equipment to have in your repertoire. Stationary bikes have been on the market for ages. The newer ones have a few more bells and whistles but at the end of the day they still do the same basic thing they did back then. Stationary bikes are a fantastic start if you have had a sitting lifestyle.

Home appropriateness gyms should always include a set of free weights. They are perfect for sculpting the body. They are affordable, simple to store, and a must for anyone that’s serious about their appropriateness program. You don’t burn a lot of calories with free rates but you do get some very nice definition by combining the two types of appropriateness training.

Meaningful what it is you want makes it much simpler to look at all the home appropriateness gyms on the market and then choose what’s best for you. You’re going to look fantastic!

How Cardio Fitness Programs Accelerate Weight Loss

Monday, May 24th, 2010

Cardio appropriateness programs are aerobic exercises that help you loose consequence. The more vigorous the exercise, the more amount of stout and calories you burn.


Everyone who exercises has a set heart workout rate that is ideal for him or her when they exercise. For most people, it is recommended that they exercise within 55 to 85 percent of their maximum heart rate for approximately 25 to 30 minutes, usually per day. If you are an experienced exerciser, you may want to increase your pace or exercise longer. If you are beginner you may want to start at the minimum recommended exercise level.


You can find free heart rate calculators online that can help you determine your ideal exercise rate. You can calculate this by: First you fill in your age, level of exercise (i.e. 60% of your maximum heart rate), and then you press the calculate button. Then, below the calculate button it shows you what your target heart rate should be in one box, and then in a further it will show a range.


The targeted number is the number, which you will aim for when exercising, and the range is the lowest to the highest recommended heart rate for you. For example, if you are a woman who is 32 years ancient your target heart rate may be 112 beats per minute and the range would be 103 to 159 beats per minute.


Keep in mind that shape and consequence may also be a consideration when figuring out what is your ideal exercise heart rate, but this heart rate monitor type does not have that as one of the factors. You can use this as a guide, but it is also vital for you to use your own judgment as well when exercising. You want to participate in a appropriateness program that will help you lose consequence but you also do not want to over exert (exhaust) yourself to the point that it can cause you shape problems.


There are quite a few appropriateness programs that can help you lose consequence and can be performed at unreliable speeds. These include aerobic exercise routines, dance classes, and sports workouts. All of these types of exercises will help you burn stout and calories. The more running involved in an exercise the better. Quick walking, treadmilling, stair climbing, and bicycling are all options for you as well.


When you perform the above exercises, you should slow down to a stop at least once and check your pulse to check your heart rate. In order to check it by hand, you would have a name time you for six seconds and then multiply that number by 10. This would be your heart rate. (You can also count for the full 60-following, or 10 seconds, or for but long of a time you reckon you will not lose count.)


If you know what level your heart rate is when you perform any of the above exercises, then it will help you determine how effective your appropriateness program is. If you find that your heart rate is at the recommended level for your age then you know your workout will help you lose consequence. If you find that you are not at the recommended heart rate level, under most conditions you may want to deliberate increasing the intensity of your aerobic workout.


Keep in mind that there may be other factors that can determine what type of workout is best for you. For instance, the length, intensity, and type of workout you participate in may vary slightly between men and women. Many factors come into play when you figure your exercise intensity.


In addition, there are a variety of other tests you can take that will help you determine whether or not your appropriateness plot is working for you. For example, one of these other tests would measure the percentage of body stout that you have. The average ideal body stout percentage for men is 15% to 18% and for women it is 22% to 25%. If you measure your body stout percentage periodically this will help mediate how


If you are confused about how to figure out what your ideal appropriateness program should be, then you can consult a doctor or personal appropriateness teacher. They will help you make the ideal appropriateness plot for you, which will help you lose consequence at a slow, steady pace. They will also guide you in ways to keeping the consequence off.