Whether we like to admit it or not, health problems related to inactivity and lack of physical exercise are a major problem in our increasingly sedentary lifestyles. From ordering food from home to working from home to watching our favourite shows and movies from homes and finally, to sleeping at home only to repeat the cycle the next day.
Nowadays, simply staying fit requires not merely going about our daily lives but actively taking the time out of our day to get the job done. However, as with most things, it’s always easier said than done. A recent YouGov study found that the most common New Year’s Resolution was to exercise more at 50%. However, gym statistics provided by Kennedy Fitness, a Jefferson Health Affiliate, shows that 60% of individuals who join a fitness centre drop out within the first year.
This alarming trend can be explained in many ways. The most common reasons people list for membership cancellations include pricing, losing motivation, feeling out of place, not seeing results quickly enough or simply not using one’s membership.
How To Stay the Course and Stay Fit
Studies have found that a major way to keep on working and never give up is to bring a friend along. After all, trying to accomplish a task all on your own is lonesome and can lead to you losing motivation very quickly. In fact, studies have shown that participants entering into a weight loss program completed it 95% of the time compared to 76% for those who went alone.
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Accountability: Friends make sure that you get to your practice sessions on time and don’t give up. If you go alone, no one will be there to ask you why you didn’t show up. With a friend however, you’re not just letting yourself down but them too. The guilt factor can be a great motivator when the going gets tough.
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More Competition: Having a friend is a great motivator as it serves as a benchmark for what you can accomplish. If your friend keeps running on the treadmill for another 15 minutes or lift an extra 5kg, you’re encouraged to be able to do the same.
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Safe and Fun: Having a friend around not only pushes you to your limits and makes sure you show up but is also a good safeguard against injury or overworking yourself. Your friend might be important to telling you when to keep going and when to stop.
What To Do? Which Exercises Are Best?
One of the most important things to remember before you start your exercise regime is the type of exercise you want to do. Every individual is unique and so are people’s goals. Some are looking to become champion bodybuilders, some looking to stay healthy in old age and yet others are looking to lose weight.
There are 2 different types of exercises that you need to be aware of: 1) aerobic exercise and 2) anaerobic exercise.
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Aerobic Exercise:‘Aerobic’ means with air and is used to refer to exercises that last for a relatively long period of time. Some examples of aerobic exercise include jogging, swimming and/or jumping rope. What these exercises excel in is building your endurance through low to medium intensity repeating actions. This type of exercise is perfect for reducing the risk of cardiovascular diseases and osteoporosis in later life as well as weight management.
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Anaerobic Exercise: ‘Anaerobic’ on the other hand means without air and refers to exercises that tend to last for only a brief period (i.e. generally less than a couple minutes.) These tend to include sprinting, weight lifting and high intensity interval training such as those done by professional athletes. What anaerobic exercise specializes in is building both bone and muscle mass by more actively breaking down your muscles and bones so they can rebuild themselves to be even stronger. A disadvantage however to anaerobic exercise is an increased risk of injury for beginners, especially if you don’t use proper technique.
Full Body Workouts First, Specialization Second
It may at first sound enticing to build up your arms and chest to finally have your ideal look that you’ve dreamed of. However, the problems with this are they avoid some of the challenges. For one, in order to be able to work your arms, chest or any other muscle group to your desired level, the rest of your muscle groups need to be able to cope. Don’t put the cart before the horse.
Like with everything, there is always too much of a good thing. When it comes to exercising, it’s important you hit all 7 of your major muscle groups: 1) chest, 2) back, 3) shoulders, 4) legs and calves, 5) biceps, 6) triceps, and 7) stomach.
Working out one part of the body while neglecting the other can result in some harmful side effects such as an increased risk of injury and joint pain, as well as potential dull, aching pain from the muscle imbalance of say, having a very weak lower body but a very strong upper body. That’s why when it comes to purchasing fitness equipment, it’s always essential to pick something that can hit as many muscle groups as possible when creating your own personalized home gym.
Lifting Belts - What Are They?
If you’ve found yourself lifting heavy weights in the gym or at home and started to feel a dull, aching pain in your lower back, stop! This is a sign that your posture and/or technique might be incorrect and continuing this way could lead to serious injury.
The lifting belt or weightlifting belt is a tool to wrap around your waist and lower back which reduces the stress on your lower back which increases the pressure on your abdominals which then press up and provide more support for your lower back bones. Secondly, it also serves to prevent back hyperextension.
When Is It Used?
Lifting belts are commonly used for those lifting heavy weights in upright positions such as the deadlift or any sort of overhead lift. It serves as a good indicator of your lower back’s position and gives you a feel for the ideal positioning to avoid hyperextension and/or injury. It does this by limiting your movement by preventing sideward bending and twisting.
Choosing the Right Lifting Belt for You
At Fitness Avenue, we provide you with an array of
weightlifting belts ranging from small leather weightlifting belts to extra large 10mmlever buckle powerlifting belts. Whatever your size and whatever your level, we have something in our inventory for you.
Using their rigid competition grade adjustable buckles and padded suede leather support, our lifting belts ensure you get the most out of your home workout. With Fitness Avenue, there’s no need to go through the hassle of driving, picking up and bringing home, our delivery team will get the job done for you and bring the product directly to your doorstep, whether big or small.
We’ve been servicing Canadians since 2007 and if you want to learn more, don’t hesitate to visit us at www.fitnessavenue.ca to scroll through our extensive array of affordable, quality fitness equipment today!
