Mayo Clinic fitness tips.

Want to get the most out of your regular physical activity? Try these recommendations, based on national guidelines, medical research and Mayo Clinic expertise. After all, a well-rounded fitness program may be one of the best things you can do for your health.

Make it functional. Functional fitness exercises train your muscles to help you do everyday activities safely and efficiently. These exercises train your muscles to work together and prepare them for daily tasks by simulating common movements you might do at home, at work or in sports. By doing functional exercises, you gain awareness of how your body coordinates and supports movement. Being more aware of your body’s movement patterns helps facilitate balance, strength, flexibility and endurance. This type of training can be done at home or at the gym. Exercise tools, such as fitness balls, kettle bells and weights, can be used as part of your training.

Count cardio in. Aerobic activity, or cardio, gets your heart pumping and helps move blood to your muscles and back to your lungs. This helps you use oxygen more efficiently. Walking, bicycling, swimming, dancing and water aerobics are all examples of cardio activities. Including a variety of them will help keep you from getting bored and can help you live a longer, healthier life.

Focus on flexibility. Stretching increases your flexibility, improves range of motion of your joints and helps your blood circulate well. It can even help you improve your posture and manage stress. Although many people think of stretching exercises as an afterthought or as a quick chore on the way to the “real” workout, stretching is a powerful part of any exercise plan. You can stretch anytime, anywhere — in your home, at work or when you’re traveling.

Strengthen your muscles. Regular strength-training exercises can help you preserve and enhance muscle mass at any age. Strength training also helps you strengthen your bones, gain less body fat and protect your joints, which can help lower your chances of injuring yourself. Strength training can be done at home or in the gym, using just your body or a variety of equipment. With the right technique, you may see improvements in your strength and stamina in just a few weeks.

Find balance. Often overlooked as part of physical fitness, balance exercises are helpful at any age. As you age, balance becomes more and more important to maintaining your independence. Nearly any activity that keeps you on your feet and moving can help you maintain good balance.

These key principles create a well-rounded fitness program that can boost not only your fitness, but also your health and quality of life!

Take your fitness to the next level.

When you’re an exercise newbie, the fitness gains come fast. But once you’ve broken in your running shoes or become a regular at the gym, you have to work harder to challenge your stronger, more efficient body. You can accomplish this by changing how hard, long and often you work out. The trick is to avoid doing so much that you end up hurt or burned out. Make a smart and safe transition with these tips.

  1. Assess your current fitness level
    Start by assessing where you’re at now as well as your strengths and weaknesses.

    Consider:

    • What you already do (exercise mode), including cardio exercise and strength training
    • How hard you work (intensity)
    • How often you do it (frequency)
    • How long you do it (duration)
  2. Set new goals
    Next, take a look at where you want to be. What are some specific, realistic goals you can set to improve your fitness level? Maybe you can jog or swim for 45 minutes rather than 30. You could add flexibility exercises into your routine. Perhaps you want to train for an event such as a 10K or mini-triathlon.
  3. Do more
    The best way to pump up your fitness level is to increase your exercise intensity. Intensity refers to how hard you work. The fitter you get, the harder you need to exercise to feel challenged and see results. Pushing yourself outside of your comfort zone will help you to get the most effective workout possible, which is important, especially if you don’t have a lot of time that day to exercise. If you exercise at a lower intensity, you’ll need to work out for longer sessions or more often to achieve the same fitness effects. In building up, first increase the frequency of your activity (number of days a week). As you become more fit, increase the length of each workout and finally the intensity.

    To increase the intensity of your workout:

    • Move faster. Walk more briskly or start running if you’ve been walking or jogging. The faster you move your body, the more work you’ll do within a given time.
    • Add vertical challenge. Run or walk on hills, or increase the grade on a treadmill. Add a step riser for step aerobics.
    • Increase resistance. Increase the pedaling resistance on a cycling machine. For strength training, gradually lift more weight.
    • Cross-train. Participate in a variety of activities, including some that are more demanding or vigorous.
    • Try interval training. This means interspersing short bursts of high-intensity activity (such as a 10-second sprint) with intervals of low- to moderate-intensity activity, such as walking.
  4. But don’t overdo it
    If you exercise several hours a day every day, you run the risk of an overuse injury or fatigue and burnout — and you won’t produce many extra gains in fitness. To avoid overtraining, increase your total exercise time, distance or intensity gradually. Alternate hard and easy workouts from one day to the next, and build in time for rest and recovery.

Once you’ve reached a new fitness level, take a moment to congratulate yourself on how far you’ve come!

Diet setback recovery tips.

A lapse occurs when you revert to your old behaviors temporarily. If several lapses have occurred in a short time, it’s tempting to think your weight-loss plan is too challenging. Not to worry; a lapse is just a short-term bump in the road. Following these tips will help you regain ground:

  • Don’t let negative thoughts take over. Mistakes happen, and each day is a chance to start anew.
  • Take another small step. Changing your life doesn’t happen all at once. Keep in mind that changing behaviors in small ways can add up to a big difference in your life.
  • Ask for and accept support. Accepting support from other people isn’t a sign of weakness, nor does it mean that you’re failing. Get support from others when you have difficult days.
  • Plan your strategy. Clearly identify the problem, and then create a list of possible solutions. If one solution doesn’t work, try another until you find one that does.
  • Work out your frustration with exercise. Keep it upbeat and even fun — don’t use physical activity as a punishment.
  • Recommit to your goals.
  • Review them to make sure they’re still realistic.

Although lapses can be disappointing, they can also teach you a lot. Perhaps your goals are unrealistic or certain strategies don’t work. Most importantly, realize that all hope isn’t lost when you lapse. Just recharge your motivation, recommit to your program and return to healthy behaviors.