By the way, is pilates for girls only?
Additional Details
1 year ago
I mean like give me instructions for an excercise. You know, like...Step 1: Do this.
Step 2:Dp that.
1 year ago
Also, tell me how many I should do, like 20 sit-ups or 100 jumping jacks.1 year ago
wow! Thanks a lot for the answers, especially the two last ones 16% 16 VotesYou can also search for all kinds of exercises that use weight.
Here is another great website for finding some good exercises for different parts of the body.
http://www.preventdisease.com/fitness/St...
Here is a great link to a comprehensive musculoskeletal atlas of the body to help you understand what exactly you are working
http://www.preventdisease.com/home/muscl...
Also, if you are having trouble deciding what type of program you should be doing, here is a website that may help you to better understand the different forms of strength.
http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/kelly2.h...
Cardiovascular Endurance-This part is extremely important for fat burning and enhancing your overall cardiovascular performance. You need to include a warm-up and cool-down. In order to have an effective cardio plan you must first make sure you remain in your target heart rate zone for at least 30 minutes a day (you can start out doing this for 3 days a week and build up) and then you can build up to 45-60 minutes a day. This will seriously help to burn fat as well as raise your VO2Max which is basically a number that represents the capacity of your cardiorespiratory system. The higher the number the more efficient your cardio system is. You can learn more about VO2 at the following website.
http://www.preventdisease.com/news/artic...
In order to determine your target heart rate, do the following:
know these numbers:
maximum heart rate= (220-age)
resting heart rate=(get this by counting your pulse for a minute when you first wake up in the morning)
heart rate reserve=(maximum heart rate-resting heart rate)
then calculate training intensity:
TI= Heart rate reserve x percentage(use 70%-85%) + resting heart rate
Now your training intensity number is important because this is the number you want to reach for a particular training intensity. This is the number your heart rate has to get to in order to be in the optimum cardio training zone.
You can perform the TI equation for 70% and then another for 85% to get a good range for your heart rate. This is your own personal target heart rate zone.
You can either count your pulse yourself or use a heart rate monitor while you are exercising. You can buy one at most electronic stores. I recommend the heart rate monitor because you don%26#039;t have to do anything and it lets you know where you are. Some even beep when you reach your zone or when you go above it. Mine has a strap you put on under your clothes and a watch that shows you your heart rate as well as other things. Now of course, any type of heart rate monitor will not be perfect because there are factors that are not taken into account, but it is one of the most accurate ways to keep track of your heart rate that is easily available to the public.
Here is a website to help you calculate your target heart rate zone
http://www.preventdisease.com/healthtool...
Here is a good website for some information on how to measure your physical activity intensity
http://www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/dnpa/physical...
Now, I needed to tell you all of that so I can let you know what cardio activities will fit this type of requirement.
The following are great activities for a good aerobic plan:
cycling, jogging, running, walking, rowing, stair climbing, elliptical machine, aerobic dance, bench step aerobics, hiking, in-line skating, skiing, rope skipping, swimming, and water aerobics.
Any of these activities are acceptable only if you make sure your heart rate stays within your target heart rate zone. This does not count your warm-up or cool-down either. You need at least 30 minutes within your zone for the best benefits because for most people your body does not begin to burn fat until you have been working aerobically in your heart rate zone for at least 30 minutes. Of course all exercise is good for you, so even if you do not make it to your heart rate zone, it still is good for you and there will be benefits from it. Just work your way up, start slow, and you will be gradually improving your body%26#039;s cardiovascular performance and burning fat. Once your body gets used to performing aerobically it will begin to burn fat faster than someone who is not on a cardio program.
You can find calculators at the following website to calculate about how many calories are burned by different activities.
http://www.preventdisease.com/healthtool...
Here are a few websites that will help you to begin a fitness walking program
http://www.preventdisease.com/fitness/fi...
http://www.preventdisease.com/fitness/wa...
Or if you prefer, you can begin a jogging program
http://preventdisease.com/fitness/fitnes...
Body Composition-this includes your body fat percentage, bone frame, as well as how much muscle you have. Most people focus on only weight, but you should not put as much focus on that as much as what your body fat percentage is (get it tested at an exercise facility with skinfold calipers). You should also get circumference measurements done. This includes your neck, shoulder, chest, waist, abdominal, hip (buttocks), thigh (proximal), thigh (mid), thigh (distal), knee, calf, ankle, arm (bicep), forearm, and wrist. You should be able to do this at a gym. You should get all of this information done before you start your program and then you can see how you improve.
You can calculate an estimate of your body composition and target weight here:
http://www.preventdisease.com/healthtool...
The following website will help you to understand a little more about body composition
http://preventdisease.com/news/articles/...
Flexibility- Most people do not even think about this, but it is very important because it helps to prevent injury and it helps you to perform every day activities. It also has an effect on all your other programs. You should perform 10-12 flexibility exercises every day. Slowly stretch the muscle to a point of mild discomfort but not necessarily pain. Hold stretch for 10-30 seconds, and do 3-5 reps for each stretch. This should take about 15-30 minutes per session. If you do not have time to do this every day, try to do it 2-3 times a week.
Here are some good websites to learn more about flexibility and stretching
http://preventdisease.com/fitness/fundam...
http://www.cmcrossroads.com/bradapp/docs...
Diet- You have to make sure that you eat right and that means following the food guide pyramid. All those low carb diets or fad diets out there will not help you lose weight safely. You can read more about the risks of low carb diets at the following website
http://www.preventdisease.com/news/artic...
Know that 1 lb. of fat is equal to 3,500 calories. So if you eat 500 calories less per day for a week than you normally would (by either cutting back or changing what you eat or even by burning 500 calories from exercise) that is 3,500 calories and you should lose 1 lb. that week. I know that does not sound like a lot, but it is a proven fact that you should not lose more than 1-3 lbs. per week because it is not safe nor does it stay off. If you work to lose 1-3 lbs a week then it is much more likely to be the safe way and will stay off for long-term if you continue to live a healthy lifestyle.
I do not like the word diet because most people think of a diet as a short-term way of losing weight when the most effective way of losing weight is to completely change your lifestyle.
Here are some ways to change the way you eat:
Always follow the food guide pyramid with focus on fruits and vegetables and lean meat such as chicken or fish.
Make sure you get enough fiber and water in your diet. You should get 20-30 grams of fiber every day along with plenty of water. You can go to http://preventdisease.com/home/tips65.sh... to learn more about fiber and tips on how to get more in your diet. You should drink a total of 8 eight-ounce glasses of water a day at least. This is different for everyone, but you should be able to figure out about how much water you need a day. You can go to
http://preventdisease.com/news/articles/... to learn more about how much water you should drink.
Get your carbs from complex carbohydrates (pasta, rice, grains, cereals, potatoes, dried beans and peas) that contain whole wheat. When you buy something such as bread make sure the first ingredient is whole wheat and does not contain the word enriched. You can learn more about carbohydrates at the following website.
http://www.preventdisease.com/fitness/we...
You can also learn how to choose healthy breakfast cereals at the following website
http://www.drmirkin.com/nutrition/N180.h...
Learn what serving sizes are and how to properly use them. This is very important because the average American consumes way too much and it is because serving sizes are out of control.