Have you been in that position where you are suddenly hit with a surge of motivation to take on a new sport or get in to shape in order to make that great impression by losing weight or bulking up? By overshooting fitness goals people tend to get injured which exacerbates the problem to be overcome in the first place. Overdoing it does not produce faster results. If you are looking for a magic “get in to shape” quick fix then you will be at the mercy of every popular fitness advertisement available.  Not only that but sometimes forcing a “square peg into a round hole” so to speak creates frustration and misguided fitness goals.

So you think you are ready for a new challenge? Whether it’s racing in your first 5K or training for an Ironman the key to success is preparation. My husband, who has worked a sedentary job and has not trained regularly for any sport since our boys were born, recently got into the game of running and has had spectacular success. He is an analytical man and spent a great deal of time finding the right “equipment”. The right stuff to keep him on track included the Runmeter GPS, which he uses on his iPhone. http://appadvice.com/appguides/show/gps-activity-loggers This app helps him to track his progress, competes against his own time, maps each route with exact distances calculated and even

Have you ever felt like you just could not bring yourself to show up to class number two for the intensive “boot camp” work out? I have made the mistake, more than once, of jumping into a high intensity aerobic class or cross fit type of workout that let me deflated and unmotivated to keep exercising. The “no pain, no gain” mentality just does not work for me. I don’t want to be so sore that I cannot sit down in the toilet or walk down the stairs! Don’t get me wrong; I know there is a place for those who want to take their work out to the ”next level” but what about those of us who just want to get off on the first floor? Is a moderate, consistent level of exercise worth it? For me the answer is a resounding YES!

I have found that when I engage in moderate exercise that is somewhat of a challenge I end up feeling more motivated to continue. I feel the benefit of increased energy and that ever sought after stress release. As a middle-aged woman I find that, for me, a hard-core work out does more harm than good. Maybe it boils down to the fact that a moderate work out leaves me with a feeling of achievement and confidence. The backbreaking 3,000 calories burned routine leaves me feeling beaten down and exhausted.

Strength training is a vital component to the exercise regiment of anyone who wants to build muscle mass and burn fat. If you are a woman over the age of 40 then regular strength training takes on a whole new meaning to your overall well-being. Women in this age group tend to fight an ongoing battle of muscle loss, which makes maintaining ideal weight and retaining current strength even more of a challenge.

Muscle mass can be improved by using your own body weight for resistance training. A popular way to achieve this is by doing push-ups. Push-ups can be done with the help of bending your knees to the ground if needed. They can also be done up against a wall if you have problems bearing the full weight of your body on your hands. Start our by trying to do two sets with 10-15 push-ups in each set. As you get stronger you can vary the type and number of push-ups that you include in each set. These strengthening exercises can be performed anywhere and will go a long way towards retaining upper body strength.