Hello everyone. Today’s article is a guest post from Pure Content.

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In this day and age there are reports every day about the growing worldwide problem with obesity. Weight gain can be caused by any number of things and while it is not easy for everyone to just get up and run a marathon, there are things people can do to help their body to stay fit and healthy. A healthy body also means a healthy mind and the importance of keeping a mind active as we get older is often overlooked.

Weight gain can of course just be down to genes.  Even so some simple exercises can help to tone the body and keep the mind sharp. Yoga and Pilates are very well known activities for toning and strengthening the body. They can also help to relax the body and mind which is perfect for those who believe their weight gain to be caused by stress which is in fact one of the most common reasons for weight gain. Stress as a weight gain trigger can be difficult to diagnose at first.  Many people might not even consider the fact they are stressed and just reach for the biscuits with their cup of tea as a way to make themselves feel better.

Sugary treats are of course bad for the body. Everything in moderation is fine but for many individuals one biscuit can lead to one packet and taking in too much junk food can have a detrimental effect on the effectiveness of the mind. A sluggish system can often lead to brain fog, lack of motivation and poor short-term memory function.

Exercising the brain on a regular basis can reverse the problem. It is very easy to exercise the brain and it can be done effectively just by using it. Crosswords and quizzes can help but for those who want a little bit more excitement in their brain games, casinos games might help. Games where the player really has to concentrate might not appeal to everyone or seem too much like hard work but with casino gaming where there is the possibility of a reward at the end for those who win, then they are much likely to continue playing and therefore exercise their mind without even trying.

Games such as poker, blackjack and even roulette can entice the player and make them think. Even something as simple as the slot machines can help the brain to function better. Slots can be played both at a casino and on one of the many online sites available. Online gaming sites are ideal for those who have little free time but who still want to enjoy playing the game.

So while it is very important to keep the body fit and healthy, it is also essential to keep the mind active. Playing online casino games doesn’t even have to cost any money as many of the larger reputable sites have a free play area where the fun of playing is still there but there is no risk of losing any money. An active mind means sharper focus for exams when young, better concentration while driving which is essential to avoid accidents and improved general awareness of everything around us.

Hello everyone. Today’s article is a guest post from the bodybuilder Jackson Morrows who writes for the Bodybuilding Factory.

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There’s more to reaching your maximum potential than simply picking a good workout regimen and eating a healthy diet. In order to be successful, a goal of that magnitude requires planning as well as execution. Below is a list of several things you need to know before, during and even after you’ve reached your maximum potential.

Before You Start

When considering a new fitness regimen, it’s always a good idea to consult with your doctor. Keep in mind that the following guidelines are suggestions and tips only, and they are not intended to replace the expertise of a certified trainer.
• Define your goals. While it might be difficult to know exactly what your maximum potential can be, you do need to set realistic goals to help you along the way. Decide if your focus is on strength, endurance or simply looking your best. This will help determine the types of goals you set for yourself.
• Prioritize and commit. If you truly want to reach your maximum potential, you must make that your priority. Be willing to accept that you may have to make sacrifices in other areas of your life because of the time you’ll need to spend and the lifestyle choices you will have to make.
• Surround yourself with experts – or at least with people who know more than you do. Having a personal trainer or coach who has the experience to take you to the next level is crucial. Those who have already reached their own maximum potential can provide you with the guidance you need to reach your own.
• Choose the right program. When deciding on a fitness program, it’s extremely important to choose a sport or activity you are passionate about. That passion will be the fuel for the fire that drives you to push yourself to reach your maximum potential. When it comes to specifics, a coach or personal trainer can be extremely helpful with putting together an effective regimen.

Working Out for Max Benefits

• Stay the course. Once you have decided upon your training program and regimen, you need to stick with it in order to see long-term results. This does not mean doing the same workouts day in and day out. It simply means to stick with one program for the long run in order to reap maximum benefits. If you keep switching from program to program after short amounts of time, you’ll never get the most out of any of those programs.
• Start slowly. When beginning a new fitness program, it’s always a good idea to start slowly and work your way up to higher intensity workouts. This helps avoid injury and burnout. It’s also a good idea to start each workout with some type of warm-up. This prepares your body for the workout ahead and also helps prevent injury.
• Intensify your workout. Working out for 30 to 40 minutes at a high intensity yields better results than working out for longer periods at a lower intensity. So, as your strength and endurance allow, increase the intensity of your workouts.
• Practice proper form. Good form is a critical component of weight lifting. Only lift as much weight as you can while maintaining proper form. After you have established proper form, lift the heaviest weight you can in one set until you are no longer able to maintain proper form. One set at your max weight is more effective than multiple sets at a lower weight.
• Cool down and stretch. Just as it’s important to properly warm up before a workout, it’s also important to cool down. Take a few minutes after your workout to gently stretch.

Dietary Considerations

While it’s best to consult a registered dietician, the following tips are a good place to start.
• Hydration. Hydration is important not only after your workout, but throughout the entire day. Your body needs time to absorb water, so make sure you are drinking water at least a couple of hours before your workout as well as hydrating after.
• Protein. Muscles require protein to repair themselves and build new tissue, so be sure to get plenty of protein in your diet. Protein shakes are a good option if you are abstaining from red meat.
• Carbohydrates. Carbs are necessary, and not all carbs are evil. Our bodies need carbs for fuel. Stay away from processed carbs such as refined sugar, and stick to the all-natural kind found in fruits. A banana is a great example of a healthy carb.

Reaching Your Goal

As you work toward achieving your maximum potential, keep in mind that you might not realize you’ve reached that goal until after gaining some perspective on it. It may not be until you have a chance to look back at where you started that you realize that you gave your maximum effort and have indeed finally reached your maximum potential.

About the Author:
This post was written and contributed by Jackson Morrows. Jackson has been bodybuilding naturally for over ten years. As an all natural athlete Jackson turns to legal alternatives to steroids to get that added boost that he needs.

Hello everyone. Today’s article is a guest post from Christine who is a freelance writer and self proclaimed fitness freak.

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When 3 o’clock rolls around you may quickly find yourself yawning and desperately wanting a nap. You unwillingly push the thought from your mind and trek on with your day wishing you had time to get in that much needed power nap. Perhaps you should rethink your decision. Power napping, if done right, can be very beneficial.

What Is Power Napping?

A power nap is a small nap during the day that doesn’t involve falling into a deep sleep. It is one in which your body is not allowed to go through the different stages of the sleep cycle. For most people, a power nap should be between 15-30 minutes a day. The longer you sleep, the less beneficial the power nap will be. In fact, sleeping longer can actually increase your sleepiness and affect your sleep pattern at night. A long nap should not be taken unless you can fully complete the sleep cycle but since most people do not have time for this, power naps are highly recommended.

What Are The Benefits?

Power napping is great for your body and can have many benefits. Below is a list of reason why you may want to consider adding a daily power nap to your schedule.

1) A Better Mood:- Sleepiness can quickly bring on a change of mood. To enhance your mood during the day consider taking a short power nap to get your spirits back up.

2) More Energy:- Re-energize your body by taking a short nap.

3) Patience:- Those who take power naps during the day report that they have more patience. Being tired and sleepy can cause your patience to wear thin.

4) Productivity:- Sleepiness can greatly affect your ability to be productive. A quick power nap can increase productivity whether you are at work or at home.

5) Better Reaction Time:- If you have ever experienced driving while you were sleepy you are likely to be familiar with the effects it can have on your reaction time. A power nap during the day can actually increase your reaction time and prepare you for what is to come during the rest of your day. If you have a job that requires you to have quick reactions, power napping could greatly improve your performance.

6) Ability To Focus:- When you are tired and worn out focusing is the last thing you want to do. A power nap can greatly increase your ability to focus. Consider power napping before you complete important tasks or projects that require extra attention.

7) Relaxation & Stress Relief:- Nothing soothes stress and relaxes the body like a power nap. If you find that you are becoming overwhelmed by the stress of the day take some time to yourself and nap. Set aside a time each day to de-stress and take a small nap.

8) Better Health:- A rested body is a healthy body. For optimal health you should be sleeping at least 6-8 hours a day and take a small power nap each evening. Once your body is getting the sleep it needs you will see an increase in the overall quality of your health. Sleep your way to good health!

9) Increased Learning:- If you are going to be learning a new task it is advisable to take a power nap beforehand. Because it increases your ability to focus learning will take place more easily.

10) Better Overall Feeling:- Perhaps the best benefit you will receive from power napping is feeling better. Waking up from a power nap will leave you with the feeling that you are ready and willing to conquer the rest of the day.

Adding in a short power nap to your daily schedule can have many benefits. Consider changing your routine to include a 15 to 30 minute nap each day in an effort to beat the common 3 o’clock drain. Don’t fight the urge to close your eyes. Allow yourself to relax and take a break from the day. Set an alarm clock to wake you in so that you don’t fall into a deep sleep. Let the advantages of power napping help you live the healthy, happy life that you deserve.

About the Author:
This article has been written by Christine. Christine is a fitness freak and writes for 1001Shop- a home of specialty products like corner etagere shelves, make up vanity mirror, decorative wall clocks, artificial silk flower, accent tables and lots more.

Hi everyone. It probably seems a little late to be talking about New Year’s resolutions considering it’s almost February. The reason I am only getting round to it now is that I have been super busy working on Best Fitness PLR so unfortunately the time I have to spend on this website is limited.

Over the next few months this trend is probably going to continue as the majority of my time will be focused on building up Best Fitness PLR. You’ll still be getting the same amount of content on Free Fitness Tips but less content will be written by me and more content will be in the form of guest posts. I understand this may be frustrating to regular readers of Free Fitness Tips but rest assured I do plan to return to writing posts for Free Fitness Tips more regularly once Best Fitness PLR is at a level that requires less input from me.

Anyway, the subject of today’s post is my fitness resolutions for 2012. For the last few years I have been setting myself new fitness resolutions and then reviewing how I performed against these resolutions the following year. This originally started out focussing purely on fitness themed resolutions but last year I expanded it to include online resolutions. Going forward I want to make these online resolutions part of this article series because working online has become a really big part of my life. By including them you get a better understanding of my overall goals and what I want to achieve each year.

REVIEW OF MY FITNESS RESOLUTIONS FOR 2011

2011 was a mixed bag for me. I achieved most of my resolutions at some point during the year but it was a bit of a rollercoaster ride…

Resolution 1 – To Hit Over 30,000 Visitors Per Month:

At the end of September 2011 I hit a new traffic record with Free Fitness Tips and received 31,930 unique visitors for the month. Heading in to October 2011 I was on track for another record month. By 13th October I had already received 15,554 unique visitors and my traffic was 15% up month on month.

Unfortunately, on 14th October Google did a pretty major update to their algorithm which hit a lot of sites including mine. Since that update I have received less than 20,000 unique visitors to Free Fitness Tips each month. This month looks like it’s going to be the first one since September where I finally break the 20,000 unique visitors mark.

Whilst I did achieve my goal of 30,000 visitors in a month, the idea behind this goal was to have something to build on so I’m not counting it as a success.

Resolution 2 – To Post New Content Every 3 Days:

In general I was pretty successful with this goal. I did have a few patches during the year where I became too busy and couldn’t commit to posting 3 times a week. However, for the majority of the year I managed to keep up with this posting schedule.

Resolution 3 – To Complete My Nutrient Articles:

Unfortunately, I wasn’t successful with this goal. I did manage to complete a lot of nutrient articles and now have quite an extensive collection of articles on the macronutrients, the minerals, the vitamins and the phytonutrients. However, there are still many more articles to be added before I box off the topic of nutrients completely.

Resolution 4 – To Provide More Value To My Newsletter Subscribers:

I was a bit inconsistent with this goal over the year. Whilst I did provide newsletter subscribers with more value over the year, some months were a lot better than others. In my best months I sent out weekly updates along with the monthly newsletter. However, in my worst months I failed to send out even the monthly newsletter so there is still a lot of room for improvement here.

Resolution 5 – To Improve My Current Fitness Levels:

This was another goal where I was a bit hit and miss. Some months I was really good with my training and had a consistent routine going. Other months I was so busy with managing my websites that I barely got to the gym at all. I’d say overall my fitness suffered a bit because of this inconsistency.

2011 Summary:

As I said earlier in this article, 2011 was a very mixed bag for me. I achieved 4 of my 5 goals at some point during the year but I was very inconsistent. Whilst certain things were outside my control (for example, there was nothing I could do about the change in the Google algorithm) I could have done better in other areas by being more organised (for example, if I had scheduled in time to write my emails each week then I could have provided newsletter subscribers with regular weekly emails for the full year).

MY FITNESS & ONLINE RESOLUTIONS FOR 2012

Consistency was the main thing that let me down in 2011. In 2012 I am going to be focusing on this when setting my resolutions and hopefully this will make 2012 my best year yet. Below are my 2012 fitness & online resolutions…

Resolution 1 – To Add A Minimum Of 4 New PLR Products To Best Fitness PLR Each Month

At the moment Best Fitness PLR is still in the very early stages so I am writing product after product and smashing this target of 4 PLR products per month. However, once it has become more established and I step back slightly I still want to make sure that it is providing value to new and existing customers. The best way to do this is by creating a minimum of 4 new PLR products each month.

Resolution 2 – To Continue Posting A Minimum Of 1 New Post Every 3 Days To Free Fitness Tips:

I was pretty happy to achieve this goal in 2011 and it’s something I want to continue doing in 2012. Hopefully, towards the end of the year I can provide you with even more content than this but as a bare minimum I want to be posting a new post every 3 days.

Resolution 3 – To Post To Each Of My Social Profiles At Least Once Every 2 Days:

Social networking sites are becoming increasingly popular and many people are now using them as their main source of news and information. For example, look how many stories broke on Twitter in 2011 before they got picked up by the mainstream media. In 2012 I can only see them growing in importance. Whilst I currently have accounts on Facebook, Google + and Twitter, I don’t use them nearly as much as I should be doing. Therefore, in 2012 I want to make sure that I am posting to each of them at least once every 2 days.

Resolution 4 – To Complete My Nutrient Articles For Free Fitness Tips:

When I set this as a resolution last year I probably bit off a little more than I could chew. Although I didn’t complete these nutrient articles, I made some really good progress. This year I’m pretty confident I can get them boxed off so that will be 1 of my targets for 2012.

Resolution 5 – To Go To The Gym At Least 3 Times A Week:

As I said above, my training in 2011 was a bit hit and miss, particularly towards the back end of the year when I launched Best Fitness PLR. So to sort myself out I need to get back to basics and start going to the gym at least 3 times a week every week – no exceptions. My intention is to go a lot more than this and really ramp up my fitness training. However, even when I am really busy in other areas of my life I want to make sure that as a bare minimum I am hitting the gym 3 times per week.

SUMMARY

So there you have it. The above fitness & online resolutions should keep me consistent in 2012 and help me avoid the problems that prevented me from fully achieving my 2011 goals. In summary you can expect the same level of consistent posting, lots more social stuff, lots more products at Best Fitness PLR and hopefully I will finally box off those nutrient articles ;).

Now I want to hear from you guys. Have you made any resolutions for 2012? How successful were you with your resolutions in 2011? Leave a comment below and let me know.

Hello everyone.  Today’s article is a guest post from the freelance writer Melanie Slaugh.

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When people start exercising it’s not uncommon to get swept up into the ideology that more is more and the only way to get into great shape is to do a lot of high impact, heart pounding activities. High impact activities like running, high intensity interval training (or HIIT) and plyometric exercises all have their place in working out. However doing too many high impact activities can be hard on your joints and leave you physically and mentally fatigued and burned out. This is why doing a lower impact activity such as yoga on some days can be both beneficial and rejuvenating. Yoga is one of those exercises that have risen in popularity over the years and with good reason – the benefits of regular practice are astounding.

1. Focus on Slow Dynamic Movements
High intensity exercise focuses on fast dynamic movements which elevate your heart rate and lead to fat-burning. Yoga, on the other hand, focuses on slow dynamic movements and since every yoga pose is designed to focus on stretching out a particular set of muscles before flowing into the next pose it is ideal for increasing your range of motion and overall flexibility. Each pose also has several different variations, making it easily adaptable to people who are more or less flexible than others and allowing you to cater to your own physical needs.

2. Lower Impact Strength Training
While regularly lifting weights at the gym is great for adding strength and developing muscle, yoga concentrates on using your body weight to help tone and strengthen muscles. Through practicing yoga you give your body a break from using added weights while still focusing on improving overall strength and conditioning – something that will help you in the gym lifting weights as well.

3. Better Breathing Technique
Breathing mindfully through each pose teaches us to zero in on how we’re breathing and really pay attention to doing it right. With this extreme focus on breathing we become more mindful of it during higher impact activities as well, allowing us to maximize on the technique and perform better overall. It also helps to increase our lung capacity, which is beneficial when doing any exercise.

4. Cardiovascular Fitness
Mindful breathing and slow purposeful movements that are standard in yoga practice results in a lower heart rate and increased oxygenation of the body. This translates to improved cardiovascular fitness and endurance, making it the ideal complement to higher intensity training.

5. Strong Core
One of the major benefits of yoga is the focus on enhancing core strength. Almost all yoga poses work to strengthen the core and many athletes can attest to the fact that a strong core is vital in performing well.
There’s no denying that doing intense physical activity burns fat and helps to aid in weight loss. However taking time to focus on doing lower impact activities like yoga that help to stretch out and strengthen our muscles is equally as important to maximizing on our overall health.

About the Author:
Melanie Slaugh is enthusiastic about the growing prospects and opportunities of various industries and writing articles on various consumer goods and services as a freelance writer. She writes extensively for internet service providers and also topics related to internet service providers in my area for presenting the consumers, the information they need to choose the right Internet package for them. She can be reached at slaugh.slaugh907 @ gmail.com.

Hello everyone.  Today’s article is a guest post from Stefan Edlund.  On his website Stefan offers visitors a free report on How To Lose Weight Fast.

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You have decided that you are going to lose weight, you have found a great training program and diet to follow, and you feel motivated and ready. So the first week goes fine and you follow your program.

Then the next week comes along, and you maybe start to miss a few of your exercise routines, and start to cheat on your diet. And then the third week comes, and you have lost all your motivation for training and eating right, and you go back to your old habits.
Maybe you lost your motivation because you got slow result, or you just felt that this training or diet isn’t for me, or for some other reason.

This right here is a very common scenario when people are trying to lose weight.

One of the key things to losing weight is motivation. Without the right motivation you can have the best training in the world and still fail because you will not follow through with your weight loss. You need to learn how to stay motivated even when it goes slow if you want to succeed and this can be achieved in 6 simple steps:
1. Create a vision of what you want to look like
2. Set goals
3. Get support
4. Make your training a routine
5. Find the right training/diet for you
6. Reward yourself

1. Create a vision of what you want to look like

You need to create a vision of yourself what you want to look like, so you know what you are working towards. You can draw a picture of the body you want, or you can go online and find a picture of someone with a great body that you want.  And print it out and stick it somewhere where you can see it daily and think about it.

2. Set goals

You have probably heard this one before, but it’s also crucial to your motivation. You need to set some long term goals every few month or so, but make sure they are realistic. But the most important part of setting goals is setting small goals each week that you can achieve. Cause if you set a goal and you complete it you will feel great, and want to go on.

3. Get support

It’s hard to do this journey on your own, try to get friends and family to support you, and try to join forums and write and talk to people there in the same position as yourself.

4. Make your training a routine

What I mean by this is that you should be specific about when you train, you always want to train on the same days on the same time. And make sure you follow that time, because it will become a routine and it will be much easier to do it.

5. Find the right training/diet for you

There are a lot of programs out there and a lot of them are just rubbish. You need to find something that fits you, some people wants to go on a starvation diet and get it done fast (but that will not work most of the time) and some people want long term programs. Go on forums and find out more about programs that can fit for you.

6. Reward yourself

This is kind of connected to the goal part. Because when you complete a goal you want to reward yourself, and I don’t mean reward yourself with food or a day of training. I mean maybe go to a spa, get a massage or spend a day in bed watching movies.

Author Resource Box:
Stefan Edlund
Owner of howtolosequickweight.com

Sign up to my newsletter to receive my free weight lose report ($19 value) to learn about super foods that will make you lose weight just by eating them, how to eat restaurant food and still lose weight and more.

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Want to ensure that you maintain your weight loss motivation?  Then give Goals On Track a try. Goals On Track is a unique piece of goal tracking software that allows you to set and visualise goals, manage them daily in a time efficient way and measure your progress:

Hello everyone.  Today’s guest post comes from Adana Lima who writes for Dumbbells For Sale – a company which offers a wide range of high quality, adjustable dumbbells.

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As you move along with your workout and diet plan, there’s no question that there are going to be times when you do slightly struggle along.  Whether it’s because time is something you just don’t have and getting to the gym seems next to impossible or you’re fighting mad cravings that just won’t quit, it’s normal to expect some turbulence within your program as it is a normal and natural occurrence that will come up.

How you deal with this turbulence though is going to be what determines whether or not you succeed with your plan, so by thinking up some solutions to overcome any obstacles you face right from the start, you will stand a much better chance of being able to combat these issues and stay on track.

Let’s have a quick look at what you should know.

Fight Back Against Time Shortages

The very first obstacle that you very well will likely run into is that time shortage.  You have a ‘to-do’ list that stretches for miles and finding time to get to the gym seems like mission impossible.

So what can you do? How do you fight back against this problem and be sure you stay the course?

The best solution here is to start breaking your workout up into more manageable chunks.  For instance, rather than trying to get to the gym for a full 45 minutes to do your cardio workout and ab training, break that up into three ten minute increments.  Most people will find it much easier to get in a ten minute bout of activity than a full thirty minutes so this may make it that much more manageable.

With your weights workout, rather than going to the gym for the full blown workout, try creating a circuit training program that only takes fifteen minutes to perform.

Move from one exercise to the next as fast as possible, being sure to push yourself as hard as you can and you’ll quickly burn off calories and see strength gains.

Fight Back Against Food Temptations

If food temptations have you down, one smart move here is to make sure that you do have cheat meals scheduled into your program.

Those who attempt to avoid the foods they crave 100% of the time are really going to deal with food cravings but when you do have a cheat meal scheduled, you know it’s only so long before you do get to indulge.
This can make it much easier to deal with the diet and manage those food temptations.

Fight Back Against Fatigue

If fatigue is something that’s keeping you from your workouts or making it difficult to continue to push onwards, make sure you’re having a good look over your program plan.

Do you have enough total rest worked into your workout program? Are you eating enough calories to provide energy?  Are you sleeping well?

All of these will work together to help enhance energy levels and if you’re falling short on any of them, could very well influence how you feel on a day to day basis.

There’s no question that you may be slightly more tired while on a diet as you are taking in less food, but at no point should fatigue be intolerable.

Fight Back Against Others Who Try And Take You Away From Your Workouts

Finally, the last thing that may cause problems for you with regards to sticking with your workout and diet plan is having others who are trying to distract you.  When this is the case, try and invite them along to your workout sessions.  Sometimes this works incredibly well since then they feel more included in your life plus they’ll be making healthier changes right along with you.

If the person is not willing to get active with you, then explain to them why working out regularly is important to you and hopefully that will allow them to see that it’s something they need to try and understand.

Most people will be supportive of your efforts, but in time, you might right into a few individuals who just don’t get why you’re devoting so much time to these lifestyle changes.

So there you have some solutions to the most common obstacles that come up when following a weight loss plan.  Be sure that you think of any obstacles that may come up in your life as well and come up with a proactive plan of action to beat them.

Adana is a stay at home mom who loves hitting the gym & writes for a company offering high quality adjustable dumbbells for sale.

“A New Year’s resolution is something that goes in one Year and out the other.” – Anonymous

With the New Year just getting started you have probably set yourself some fitness resolutions.  Perhaps this is the year where you want to sculpt those those six pack abs?  Maybe this is the year you are finally going to kick your smoking habit?  Whilst setting fitness resolutions is a fantastic idea, the facts are that despite the best intentions most New Year’s resolutions will fail.  In this study of 3,000 people, only 12% were successful with their New Year’s resolutions.  Today I am going to help you fall within that successful 12% with 5 simple steps that will make your fitness resolutions stick this year.

1) SET REALISTIC RESOLUTIONS:- Having a set of washboard abs, cutting out all unnatural foods from your diet and jogging 10 miles a day may sounds great in your head but if you currently eat what you want and your weekly exercise program involves a leisurely stroll to the local shops then it is not going to happen.  The first step to success is setting fitness resolutions that are realistic based on your current diet and activity levels.  If you are a gym fanatic who has a pretty solid diet plan then the above resolutions may be realistic for you.  However, if you are a couch potato that is just getting started something like “to jog 10 miles a week” or “to attend the gym 3 times a week” is much more realistic.  So before you even set your fitness resolutions sit down and think about what you do now and what you can realistically improve on during the year ahead.  Small, realistic fitness resolutions are much more likely to succeed than large, unrealistic goals.

2) LIMIT YOUR RESOLUTIONS:- There are probably many areas of your fitness that you would like to improve this year.  Maybe you want to eat more healthy foods?  Perhaps you want to reduce your body fat levels?  You might want to improve your stamina or increase your strength?  Whilst you may think it is realistic to make 10 or 20 small, positive lifestyle changes in most cases you will be spreading yourself too thin.  Focussing on 1 or 2 goals is manageable but focussing on 10 or 20 is almost impossible.  If you have 20 fitness resolutions, write them down, prioritise them and then pick the top 1 or 2.  Focussing your full attention on 1 or 2 important goals is much more likely to be successful than spreading your attentions across 20 different goals.

3) CREATE A DETAILED ACTION PLAN:- Saying that you want a set of six pack abs by the end of the year is fine but how are you going to do achieve it?  What are you going to eat?  How often are you going to exercise?  What types of exercise are you going to do?  If your fitness resolution is just a throwaway line then you are setting yourself up for failure.  Once you have your realistic fitness resolutions nailed down, the next step is to create a detailed action plan for the full year.  This is a big job but one that needs to be done if you want to succeed.  Start by writing down what you want to achieve by the end of each month.  Then write down what you need to do each week to hit that monthly target.  Finally, break this down into daily tasks.  So if your goal is to get six pack abs your monthly target could be body fat reduction.  Your weekly target could then be general improvements in diet and exercise.  Your daily targets would then be the specific actions you are going to take such as “cut 100 calories by removing 2 slices of bread from my diet”, “burn 500 calories by running for 30 minutes”.  This may sound like overkill but it is crucial if you really want to achieve your fitness resolutions this year.

4) TRACK YOUR PROGRESS REGULARLY:- If you do not track your progress regularly then even the most detailed action plan becomes useless.  Try and sit down once a week and review your actual progress against your original action plan.  If you have a bad week then adjust the following week’s targets to compensate for this.  By doing this you will greatly increase your chances of success.  Instead of blindly working towards a fitness resolution you will know each week whether you are on track or need to try that little bit harder.  You will also be able to identify any setbacks early and adjust your action plan so that they do not turn into full blown relapses and completely derail your fitness resolutions.

5) REWARD YOURSELF:- In most cases, the ultimate goal of a fitness resolution is self gratification.  You might want to look better, feel better or perform better and this is the long term reward for your efforts.  However, even with the strongest will in the world, the most detailed action plan and regular progress reviews, it is difficult to maintain this long term view over a full year.  After a couple of months hard work and no visible reward the urge to quit often kicks in.  To overcome this obstacle reward yourself each month or week that you are successful.  These rewards should be aligned with your action plan and not interfere with your fitness resolutions.  For example, if your overall goal is to reduce your body fat levels then you should not reward yourself with a cake every week.  Instead go for something that is independent of your fitness resolutions like a new CD or new clothes.  By rewarding yourself regularly you will have much more motivation in both the short term and the long term making you more likely to succeed with your fitness resolutions.

SUMMARY

New Year’s resolutions are difficult to achieve and most people will fail.  However,this year can be the year where you are successful.  The 5 steps in this article give you a much greater advantage than most other people.  So remember if you want your resolutions to stick this year:
- Set Realistic Resolutions.
- Limit Your Resolutions.
- Create A Detailed Action Plan.
- Track Your Progress Regularly.
- Reward Yourself.

Sources:
New Year’s Resolution Experiment (Quirkology)

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Now that the New Year is upon us you are probably starting to act on your New Years resolutions.  Perhaps you want to quit smoking this year?  Maybe you want to get rid of your beer belly?  Whatever your goals I wish you all the best and if they are fitness related there is plenty of great content available on this website to help you hit them this year.  Today I am going to be reviewing my fitness resolutions for 2010 and making my fitness resolutions for 2011.

REVIEW OF MY FITNESS RESOLUTIONS FOR 2010

1) TO ENTER A 10K RUN:- Unfortunately, I did not manage to enter a 10k run for the second consecutive year.  The main reason for this is that my cardiovascular training has been inconsistent over the year meaning that my cardiovascular fitness levels never got high enough to enter a 10k run.  This has been mainly down to time constraints with my full time job, a full weight training program, doing some part time work for my friend and working a lot of hours on this website leaving very little time for cardiovascular training.

2) TO SLEEP MORE:- This is another fitness resolution I have struggled with.  Again the reason for this is time constraints.  Since I do a lot of work on this website at night time but still have to get up in the mornings for my full time job, sleep is something that often gets compromised.

3) TO BE MORE CONSISTENT WITH MY TRAINING:- This is one resolution I did manage to achieve.  Whilst I have had the odd week where my training schedule has not been great, over the year as a whole I think I have been pretty consistent.

4) TO GET NOTICEABLE IMPROVEMENTS FROM MY TRAINING:- This is another resolution I achieved.  I have managed to increase the weight I am lifting in a number of areas including dumbbell chest presses and squats.  I have also started to track how much I lift each session so I have a visual representation of whether I am improving or not.

5) TO BE MORE CONSISTENT WITH MY BLOG POSTS:- This has probably been my most successful resolution.  Apart from January 2010, I have managed to consistently post new content to Free Fitness Tips and have averaged 8 posts per month.  I have also started to compile a more detailed plan for this website which outlines my weekly, monthly and annual plans in terms of content.  This has allowed me to be much more productive and given me increased focus when it comes to working on this website.

Overall, I achieved 3 out of the 5 resolutions which in my opinion represents a pretty successful year.  Hopefully, I can carry this momentum through to 2011 and achieve even more of my fitness resolutions.

MY FITNESS RESOLUTIONS FOR 2011

As you can see from the fitness resolutions I failed to achieve last year, time constraints are a big issue.  This year I want to address this issue by focussing my efforts on this very website.  Now this may sound like a contradiction as surely spending more time on my website is going to place further time constraints on other activities?  In the short term this is true but in the long term it should save me massive amounts of time.

For example, once I have covered all the key nutrients that foods contain on this website then writing other articles about nutrition suddenly becomes a lot easier.  Once the core information is available on this website I just have to have a quick browse to refresh my memory and then I can quickly write a new article.  The initial work to cover all the nutrients will take massive amounts of time but going forward it will reduce the time it takes for me to produce articles in this area.

Here is another example which uses website traffic.  If I put more effort in now creating unique, quality content for my website it will start to become more popular and get more visitors.  As it gets more popular I will get more interest from guest writers who want to publish their content on a high traffic website.  By writing more content now I will actually have to write less in the future and save myself some time.

So without further ado here are my website focussed fitness resolutions for 2011…

1) TO HIT OVER 30,000 VISITORS PER MONTH:- Free Fitness Tips had 15,000 unique visitors for the month of December 2010 which represents a massive improvement on December 2009′s 8,000 unique visitors.  This year I want to improve even further and hit over 30,000 unique visitors by December 2011.

2) TO POST NEW CONTENT EVERY 3 DAYS:- At the moment I aim to publish new content every 4 days.  Next year I want to knock this gap down to 3 days which will mean that you guys get more free fitness information than ever before.

3) TO COMPLETE MY NUTRIENT ARTICLES:- Last year I used a large proportion of this website’s content to cover the different nutrients found in food.  I managed to cover the macronutrients, the macrominerals, the microminerals and had previously covered the vitamins.  This year I want to wrap this topic area up by breaking down protein even further and covering the amino acids and also covering flavanoids and phytonutrients.  Once complete this will mean that information on any nutrient in food will be available right here at this website.

4) TO PROVIDE MORE VALUE TO NEWSLETTER SUBSCRIBERS:- Currently the Free Fitness Tips Newsletter is little more than a monthly update.  Next year I want to be in much more regular contact with subscribers and use the newsletter to provide weekly content updates.

5) TO IMPROVE MY CURRENT FITNESS LEVELS:- Whilst I think the above resolutions will free up a lot of time I do not want this to be at the expense of my current fitness levels.  So at the very least I want to maintain my current fitness levels during 2011 and ideally I want to improve them.  I will still be going to the gym at least 3 times a week and tracking my progress after every session.  By the end of 2011 I want to be able to lift more and have more stamina than I did at the end of 2010.

SUMMARY

All the above resolutions should be of great benefit to you – the readers of Free Fitness Tips, as they will all improve the quality and quantity of content you receive on this website.  So here is to a healthy and successful 2011.  If you have any of your own New Years resolutions that you would like to share please do so by leaving a comment.

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Want to improve your success rate with New Year’s resolutions this time around?  Then give Goals On Track a try. Goals On Track is a unique piece of goal tracking software that allows you to set and visualise goals, manage them daily in a time efficient way and measure your progress:

Hello everyone.  Today’s article is a guest post from Jennica who is a guest blogger for YoungNHappy.com a fantastic anti ageing resource.  I highly recommend you head over and have a look after you have read Jennica’s guest post.

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Yoga is an ancient art which offers many advantages and maintains health. Not only the body maintains its health but it also brings radiance to the skin as yoga helps to balance the flow of oxygen and hormones. Let us have a glance at the many skin benefits of yoga.

By doing Yoga regularly, you get a healthy glow in your skin. The reason is that Yoga steadies your hormones and boosts the flow of blood rich in oxygen to your skin. Yoga tones the muscles of your neck and face. It prevents sagging and helps in getting anti ageing skin results. Muscles and performance of entire body is kept in ideal condition as one regularly practices yoga asanas.

Yoga can work for you if you are looking for healthy and glowing skin. Our skin often gets overlooked because of our demanding schedules and the artificial substances we use on our skin. Our skin also suffers when the diet is inadequate. Actually, our skin is bigger than any other organ in the body so it requires a lot of care. It needs appropriate nutrition to stay healthy. Skin health is very much associated with health of the digestive system. When there are gastrointestinal problems, the skin finds it difficult to get proper nutrition.

In fact, skin health and yoga are more related than most people know. Yoga exercise involving breathing like Pranayama could help you in boosting lung capacity, and increasing the oxygen levels accessible to the skin. Also, they help in improving blood circulation. Inverted poses and headstands also help in perking up the balance and circulation in the body. If you do these exercises along with a yogic diet, you can flush out toxins from your body easily, helping your skin to respire easily and appear younger, brighter and softer.

There are special asanas that are meant to help the skin to glow apart from giving fine health. These yoga asanas and mudras should be performed on a daily basis. When you do yoga asanas, the inhalation of fresh oxygen helps the skin to get back its glow.

As yoga is very much physical and hence by doing meditation and remaining in constant touch with your body, your total focus on your body helps you in giving wonderful tranquility to the body and this helps out your skin in a lot of ways.

This is due to the truth that, you have to extend your body as per the design of yoga asanas and this in fact helps your skin to sustain its firmness. Particularly for middle aged women after the maternity phase, skin grows to be somewhat dry and might also droop. To maintain your skin in healthy state, you can practice yoga. Your skin will regain its glow and will also look healthier.

Like this, the goodness of yoga for skin is plenty. It is guaranteed that you will be getting a lot of health benefits by practicing yoga. It is time to encourage yourself to begin the practice of yoga, and receive all the benefits for skin and health in general.