Hello everyone. The Free Fitness Tips Newsletter – December 2011 is now online. If you want to download a copy you can do so using the link below…

>>> Click Here To Download The Free Fitness Tips Newsletter – December 2011 <<<

Hello everyone.  Today’s guest post comes from Jade Evans who is a freelance writer with uShip.

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It may not seem like it for those who have not exercised in a long time, but cycling is one of the easier ways to exercise .

As the Huffington Post notes:

“A recent Harvard university study found that biking — even for as little as five minute each day — can stave off weight gain for middle aged women, according to Health.com. The researchers followed more than 19,000 women and found that those who started a five-minute-a-day bike ride routine gained 1.5 fewer pounds than their non-cycling peers over a 16-year period. Those who rode for 30 minutes a day kept off 3.5 more pounds than those who didn’t bike. “Bicycling is an answer to weight control,” lead author Anne Lusk, Ph.D., told Health.com.”

That’s a pretty ridiculous statistic, huh? Want to go out and buy a bike now? If you aren’t convinced, cycling has these benefits as well – and I can tell you from close personal experience that this is true – my father had heart issues over a decade ago and started cycling on the advice of his doctor, and hasn’t had heart issues since!

But to the benefits -

Heart-healthy: Cycling does this in two different ways – riding a bike – like all exercise, increases your heart rate, but in a steady (rather than erratic) manner, which does help to increase your cardiovascular fitness by up to 7%. And according to the British Medical Association, cycling just 20 miles a week can reduce the risk of coronary heart disease by 50%.20 miles! That’s less than 3 miles a day – take a ride into town and back instead of driving, and that is all that it takes!

As well as helping your heart directly, biking helps your heart indirectly, by helping to promote good cholesterol – HDL – and improving your blood chemistry. Cycling has also been shown to help reduce blood pressure.

Weight: While not completely associated with massive weight loss, cycling is a great method of toning your muscles, which in turn slims down your frame. Cycling has also been shown to help keep weight loss down in women, especially if done at a more-than-leisurely pace.

Increased longevity: Cycling has actually shown to help increase lifespan. Cycling has been regularly associated with increased “life-years” by a department of the US government. And if you can do anything to help increase the quality (and quantity) of your years, wouldn’t you want to do it?

Coordination: While we all know that video games can help with our hand-eye coordination, cycling is an activity (or a sport, depending on how you ride) that engages your whole body, which, like other whole-body activities (like, say, dance or yoga) increases your overall coordination. So if you’re too klutzy to show your face in a dance studio, start biking instead!

Whole Body Health: Cycling is also known to help strengthen and promote other systems of your body, including:

• Mental health: cycling during your leisure time or to and from work could potentially increase your overall mental health and wellness.
• Immune system: Not only can cycling boost your overall immune system, but it has been well documented that cycling can help improve your body’s defenses and abilities to fight cancer.
• Joints and muscles: Especially in the lower body, biking has been shown to build muscle and increase joint flexibility. As biking in the lower body is rather low-impact, it allows for those with injuries to the hips and knees to exercise when they otherwise might not be able to be physically active.

Overall, cycling is quite good for you! Even if you aren’t a courier, biking madly around the city, a little bit of a jaunt on your bike cannot do too much harm. There are risks attached to cycling, though, so before you start seriously cycling, talk to your doctor about your current state of health and the unique risks that cycling may present for you.

About the Author:
Jade Evans is a freelance writer who works frequently with uShip, an online shipping marketplace that offers everything from couriers to long distance or cross country moving assistance.

Over the last few months I have been heavily focussing on the phytonutrients. In fact since March of this year I have written very little else. After re-reading a lot of these articles I have noticed that I am probably getting a little too wrapped up in this topic. Whilst the articles I have written do contain a lot of great information, they are very specific and probably not useful for the vast majority of readers on this website. That is why going forward I have decided to change my approach.

I am still going to be providing detailed breakdowns on each of the phytonutrients, with the ultimate goal being to have every nutrient covered right here on this website. However, I am also going to be mixing this information in with more practical articles. So I will not just be providing you with the raw facts on the phytonutrients. I will also be writing articles on the foods you can eat to prevent certain ailments and providing you with useful recipes that will help you incorporate the phytonutrients into your diet. By doing this, I hope to create content that is much more enjoyable for everyone to read whilst still providing some good solid information behind each post.

In line with this new approach I also want to get back in touch with you – the readers. There was a time when Free Fitness Tips had quite a good community feeling going. People would comment regularly on my articles, I would respond and there were some really great interactions happening. However, since March I feel I have been neglecting you guys and focussing too much on my writing. Free Fitness Tips has lost that interactive community feeling and I want to get it back. So how do I plan to do this?

For starters, I have set up a Facebook fan page, a Google + profile and a Twitter account. Please click the 3 links, connect with me, ask any questions you have, give me feedback on the website, tell me what you want me to write about, share interesting articles with me or anything else at all. These 3 platforms are a great opportunity for me to get closer to you guys, you guys to get closer to me and for Free Fitness Tips to improve.

Secondly, I really want to encourage you guys to start commenting again. If there is anything you have an opinion on (positive or negative) please leave me a comment. If you want to expand on 1 of my articles then go right ahead. If you do not agree with 1 of my articles please tell me. I aim to respond to every comment and with this greater interaction we can give each post on Free Fitness Tips much more depth.

So to summarise, going forward you will be getting…
- More practical, interesting posts.
- Opportunities to interact with me on Facebook, Google + and Twitter.
- More comments and discussions on this very website.

I hope you are as excited about this as I am. I’ll be back tomorrow with a brand new post. In the meantime, please take this opportunity to interact with me via the 3 social platforms or on this website.

Hello everyone.  As regular readers may have noticed the appearance of this blog has changed over the last few days.  The reason for this is that I have changed my blog theme to one that I believe is much more attractive and easy on the eye.  Instead of having all the content in one long list (as was the case with my old theme) the blog is now divided into separate sections on the homepage.  It also now has a featured section at the top of the blog which allows me to highlight some of my favourite articles to readers.  The content is still exactly the same.  It’s just presented in a different (and hopefully much better) way.

You can view my latest blog posts in the ‘Latest Posts’ section of the homepage or by using the recent posts section of the sidebar.  You can also access all the blog categories using the ‘Categories’ section of the sidebar.  I hope you like the new blog design as much as me.  If you have any suggestions or feedback regarding the new design I would love to hear from you.  Just leave me a comment and I will do my best to take it on board and make any recommended changes.

Hello everyone. I recently found out that I am the recipient of an Arte Y Pico award from not one but two bloggers. The first of these two bloggers is Angie from Vibrant Healthy U, an excellent health and fitness blog with some great post including this unique offering; The Eyes Have It. The second award came from Asithi of Small Steps to Health, another great health blog which I enjoy reading even though I don’t always share the same opinions as Asithi on certain topics – for example milk. Anyway, thankyou both for the award. One of the most rewarding things about running this blog is receiving comments and recognition from others.

Anyway, the rules of this award are as follows:

1) Select five blogs that you consider deserving of the award.

2) Include the name of the author and a link to the blog, for each award designated.

3) Award winner must display the award graphic and name the blogger that bestowed the award on them.

4) Include a link to the Arte Y Pico blog, in order to share the origin of the award.

I’ve already completed steps 3 and 4 so all that’s left is to pass the award on to five more bloggers. Here’s my top five:

1) The Fitness Black Book:- This is a fitness blog written by Rusty which (in his own words) shows you how to get ‘Lean and Toned, Not Bulky’. There are two big things I like about Rusty’s blog. First, his posts on fit celebrities really allow you to see the look he is trying to achieve. Secondly, the blog is actually quite funny too.

2) The All Muscle Building Blog:- This blog is quite a new one on my reading list and is written by Pat. The posts are generally short but always full of useful information. Lots of the stuff I’ve read on Pat’s blog was completely new to me which one of the reasons that I have become a regular reader.

3) Anti-Aging Nutrtion News:- Although I’m only in my early twenties I’ve still found this blog by GiGi to be one of my regular reads. The nutritional information GiGi provides is top notch and her posts have given me the lowdown on some very healthy foods that I was completely unaware of prior to reading.

4) Muscle Post:- Another great blog on muscle building from Tony. Again this is a new blog but one which I read regularly. The focus of Tony’s blog is on exercises which build muscles and he has provided some great tips which I can carry over to the gym.

5) Health Nut Wannabee Mom:- This is a great blog from Heidi. She updates most days with the focus being on nutrition. The best thing about Heidi’s blog is that the tips are easy to follow, practical and suitable for normal, everyday people.

Thanks to everyone for the award and well done to the five bloggers who I have passed the award on to. I wish you continued success with your blogs and hope to be a long time reader of each of them.

I’ve just added a new March 2008 Fitness Tips Poll to The Free Fitness Tips Squidoo Lens. This month’s poll covers the topic of protein shakes and asks the simple question; ‘Do you currently use Protein Supplements?’ I didn’t get any responses to the first poll so let’s try and build upon that this time around. It only takes a second to vote and I really value your opinion.

Click Here to Vote in the March 2008 Fitness Poll!!

Hello everyone. As I announced in January I have created the Free Fitness Tips Squidoo Lens and plan to keep you updated of all the latest developments via this blog. Well I have some news for you. I’ve just added the first Fitness Poll to the lens. I plan to have these polls every month to get a general opinion on the fitness issues I discuss on this blog.

The Fitness Poll on February 2008 asks the question “Are you happy with your current physique?” I’d really like to hear your responses on this subject. If you head over to the Free Fitness Tips Squidoo Lens using the link below you can register your opinion on the topic.

Click Here to Vote in the February 2008 Fitness Poll!!

Hello Everyone,

I hope your enjoying the Free Fitness Tips Blog and the Free Fitness Tips Email Course (if not sign up using the form at the top right corner of this blog). Hopefully with this information you can make 2008 the year you achieve your fitness goals.

Anyway as you can probably guess from the title I’m making this post to announce the Free Fitness Tips Squidoo Lens. I’ve already created the Free Fitness Tips Website, the Free Fitness Tips Blog and the Free Fitness Tips Email Course and squidoo lenses seem to be all the rage at the moment so I thought I’d try my hand at it. If you’ve never heard of squidoo before let me explain it a little further (even though I’m no expert myself). Squidoo is a website which lets you create your own lens (a personal page similar to a blog) on any topic you desire. The Free Fitness Tips Squidoo Lens contains a summary of most of the information on this blog plus links to other fitness resources and some great fitness products. In the future I plan to add more to the lens, including videos and polls, and I will keep you updated on how the lens develops. Anyway, check it out and let me know what you think by posting a comment here on the blog or by posting one on the lens.

Check out the Free Fitness Tips Squidoo Lens!!

Hello Everyone,

This is just a quick message to wish you all a Happy New Year. I’ve not updated the blog for a few days but I’ve just managed to get an article on Fear of the Unknown added today.

New Years resolutions often go hand in hand with the New Year. If your resolutions for 2008 involve improving your fitness levels then I hope this blog helps you achieve your goals. I’m going to be adding articles on diet, exercise and more during the year so the Free Fitness Tips blog will be developing into a substantial resource in the next few months.

Also if you haven’t done so already, don’t forget to subscribe to the Free Fitness Tips Email Course. As a subscriber you are provided with a Free Fitness Tip delivered to your email inbox every day for 365 days.

With the blog and the email course you will be armed with the resources you need to boost your fitness levels during 2008.

1) BALANCE BALL:- The balance ball is a very versatile piece of equipment which will exercise your abs along with the rest of your body. To keep balance on the ball your abdominal muscles have to remain contracted. It’s a lot more difficult and provides a much more intensive workout than most people think. Once you get to grips with this exercise you should start seeing more tone and definition.

2) ROWING MACHINES:- When looking at rowing machines you need to think about the features that you require and if these features match your price range. Alternatively, you can use the machines available at your local gym if they suit your needs. Regularly using a rowing machine will tone and strengthen your abdominal muscles whilst also working your shoulders, forearms, biceps, triceps and legs.

3) THE RED EXERCISER:- The Red Exerciser is one of the newest pieces of abdominal exercise equipment on the market. With The Red Exerciser you can keep the upper body still (by grabbing the handles) whilst oscillating your lower body using the abdominal muscles. If you exercise with this machine 30-60 minutes per session and do three or more sessions a week, you will start to notice great results.

4) OTHER ABDOMINAL MACHINES:- Apart from the abdominal machines listed above there are many great alternatives on the market which include the Ab Roller and the Ab Lounger. If none of the above are quite what you are looking for have a look on the Internet for other abdominal equipment. Also try asking instructors at your local gym to recommend some equipment to you. By doing this I’m sure you will find something that suits your needs.

So if you’re interested in trying some new abdominal equipment I hope the above article has helped you decide. If you don’t fancy using equipment that’s fine also. Just stick with crunches, sit-ups etc.

Whichever abdominal exercise you focus upon remember that this will just tighten your stomach. You also need to reduce the excess fat around your abdominal area. This fat reduction can be achieved with a healthy diet and cardiovascular exercise. Follow this advice and you will be on your way towards brandishing the ‘washboard stomach you’ve always dreamed of.