Exercise Bikes ? No Excuses, 30 Minutes A Day On A Bike Will Change Your Life – Fitness-Equipment
Exercise Bikes ? No Excuses, 30 Minutes A Day On A Bike Will Change Your Life
Exercise bikes are the ideal home exercise equipment. We are all advised to exercise for 30 minutes per day to stay healthy combined with a good balanced food intake. Most people complain of not having the time to go to the gym or prepare to out jogging etc but if it was for 30 minutes of TV I'd bet that time would be no problem. Why not combine the two, TV and exercise. Watching TV while exercising cuts out the boredom of being locked in a room looking at the four walls exercising. If you have a program you watch on a regular basis the time will only fly in.What exercise bike will I buy?Exercise bikes come in all wonderful styles from the basic stationary bike to built in programs for spinning and mountain courses. The best is what you can afford to pay, the main thing is that you are exercising regularly or intend to do so. The more basic exercise bike can cost anywhere from $80 upwards and generally has a few different gears available to make the exercise more intense as you proceed with fitness. I have to say if you can afford to spend $200 you will find exercise bikes that have pre tuned exercise programs that are easy to follow and are a great way to burn fat.How to Start:Starting can be daunting but after a week or so you will find your fitness level improving and overall health. You need to introduce the body into the exercise for the first couple of days, for many people buying exercise bikes it's the first time they have done such an exercise in years. The first few days should be a slow introductory pace, if you go all out in the first day or so you will only end up with aching muscles and may even put you off exercising again. Remember that this is a marathon not a sprint.Who are the main manufacturers of exercise bikes?Weslo, Reebok,Tuntui, Stamina, Proform, Nordic Track and Fitnees Track have for many years manufactured some of the greatest exercise bikes we have ever seen and all are still doing so. There are foldable bikes available for those living in apartments or people who are simply tied for space. Many people are now trying to build a home gym with the essentials in exercise equipment; the exercise bike should be first on the shopping list. The exercise itself is an excellent aerobic exercise, easy to start with and works ideally as a cross trainer with most other fitness equipment.Some exercise bikes have a dual function, exercise for the upper and lower body. Apart from the obvious leg exercise you will also find upper body levers on some, this is an ideal exercise for a total body workout and will burn fat more quickly than the standard exercise bike (the more muscle groups you exercise the more fat your burn and more quickly).Why buy an exercise bike when I can get a treadmill?The exercise bike has very low impact on the joints. If you have previous injuries or weak joints in general the exercise bike is an ideal gentle exercise. The treadmill is a much higher impacting exercise on the joints and people with weak knees or ankles should be aware. If you decide to get an exercise bike with dual exercise (upper and lower body) you will burn more fat than that of the treadmill as you have no upper body resistance with the treadmill. There are arguments on both sides of the fence as to what is better the bike or the treadmill but you should look at your goals and see what suits both your budget and your target weight loss or general fitness. At the moment the cardio benefits to you as the user lies greater with the exercise dual function bike to that of the treadmill.In Brief:The exercise bike is ideal for beginners to the more advanced groups; it offers a low impact, high calorie burning exercise that have an excellent cardio workout. Combined with a balanced diet the exercise bike used regularly will help you achieve your fitness goals.About The Author
Declan Tobin is a successful freelance writer providing tips and advice for consumers purchasing Fitness Equipment, Treadmills and Weight Benches
. His numerous articles offer tips and valuable insight on fitness.
7 Excuses For Not Starting Up Your Weight Loss Diet – Weight-Loss
7 Excuses For Not Starting Up Your Weight Loss Diet
Changing habits is one of the most difficult challanges we human beings are facing. This also applies to changing food habits, and especially starting a weight loss diet, when you are used to eating what you want when you want it. When we feel defeated by this challenge it is easy to find excuses for not doing it. I'll discuss 7 common excuses for not starting up or staying on a fitness diet, and give you some tips on what to do to get your mind "on track" again.1." I simply love good food, I will never be able to carry this diet out!"There are two points worth commenting on in this statement. If you tell yourself that you will never be able to carry out your fat loss diet, I can almost guarantee you, you won't. What you should tell yourself is: "I definately will be able to carry out this fat loss diet" and repeat it as often as possible. If you do, your mind will trust you more and more and finally it will know this as the truth.Who said that you can't eat good food? There are plenty of delicious gourmet foods you can eat while you lose weight and you can eat as much food as you want - but you have to eat it in certain combinations. There are weight loss programs today that pay attention to anybody's needs and preferences and empahsize certain foods as the main ingredients in the diet. Chose a diet for losing weight that fit your preferences and tastes best.2. "I have tried this many times before and I'm always falling back to my old eating habits before I have reached my weight loss goal. "So, why not do it right this time? What did you do wrong last time, so you flipped out from your weight loss program? And the time before that? And before that? Do you see a pattern here? Did you use the same excuses? Be aware of what you said to yourself to justify the quitting of your diet. Look at your mistakes in a positive way, learn from them and do not make the same mistake this time.3. "I will not be able to do my work good enough when I have to starve every day."If you have been on a diet for losing weight before, you know that this is BS. First, after a few days of little but healthy food - you will feel an increase in your energy. If you exercise in addition, the raise in energy will be even greater.And which other person but yourself, said that you have to starve? There are fat loss plans out there structured so that you'll never even have the slightest starving feeling during the dieting period. So that is no excuse for omitting your diet at all.4. "My family and I always go to Sizzler's every sunday - a tradition that we love."If that is a family tradition you love, there is no reason to stop it. If you chose a high protein diet, you can eat as much grilled meat as you want and even mix it with vegatables and carb substitutes. Or if you prefer fruits and vegatables - stay to these. Anyway, eat which ever combination you want but don't eat so much -especially of foods high in fat and sugar. If this is the only "freak-out" per week, go to Sizzler's, MacDonald's, Golden Coral or wherever, and eat as much as you want. But stay on the diet the rest of the week, and you'll still lose weight.5. "I love to take a glass or two of cold beer when I'm sitting in the garden after dinner."Do it, but not every day. If you limit it to let's say twice a week, you're on the safe side; You will still lose weight if you stay on your diet, even with a few glasses of beer, vine or brandy per week. So, don't use this argument for an excuse not to begin to lose excess fat.6. "I travel much in my job, and have to stay in hotels and eat the hotel's food."Most hotels will give you the food you order. If you stay on a low fat diet, order low fat food or chose food low in fat from the buffet. The same with low carb diets; order meat, fish, low carb vegetables and even carbohydrate substitutes. So, if you really want to lose weight, the hotel and traveling life is no valid excuse for omitting your weight loss.7. "Many fat people seem to be very happy - why can't I just be happy with who I am?"Maybe you can. The question you have to ask yourself is: Am I happy with myself now? If you can answer an honest "yes" to this question, stay away from weight loss diets. If your answer is "no", then find a diet among the arsenal of different types of diets offered today, that fits your needs and preferences best.The selection of diets has never been bigger or more varied than today, so you can find one that fits you and your needs perfectly.Terje Brooks Ellingsen is a writer and internet marketer. He runs the
website 11-Weight-Loss.net.
Terje enjoys to give advice and help people with slim fast programs and other weight loss products
Explanations?… or Excuses?
Explanations?... or Excuses?
Which of the following "explanations" have you heard (or used!) in the past few weeks?* I need to reward myself for being so good.* The boss hates me.* It's been too hot (too cold, too rainy) to exercise* Of course I have problems. I'm a middle child.* It was the alcohol talking.It's pretty obvious that the above "explanations" are basically excuses for avoiding responsibility. Your "inner brat" uses such excuses to justify overeating, underachievement and saying hurtful things.Next look at the following. They almost seem like plausible explanations:* Sorry I'm late again. There was a lot of traffic.* I haven't had a chance to call her back. It's been crazy around here.* I never went to college because my parents didn't encourage me.* I didn't want to hurt your feelings.* I can't seem to get things done because of my ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder).But these, too, are still excuses, not explanations. If you examine the above statements more closely, you will find that they are not entirely explanatory, and are easily challenged. For example:* Being chronically late is not caused by traffic; it's caused by not leaving enough time for travel.* If a phone call is important enough, a person will almost always find the time.* Lack of parental encouragement may have some influence on one's life, but eventually we all have choices to make about investing our time and energy.* Most of the time people avoid confrontation not to protect someone else's feelings, but to protect their own.* People with ADHD need to work harder to stay focused but this does not mean they cannot complete their tasks.A true explanation shows a cause-and-effect relationship: Situation X caused Consequence Y. Excuses masquerade as explanations, but are really distortions of the truth. Excuses include following elements:1. They usually blame other people or external circumstances -- e.g., "I hit him because he made me mad," or "You're too sensitive," or "It was just my bad luck."2. When they blame oneself, they usually invoke a personal trait or limitation -- e.g., "I'm not good at keeping track of bills," or "You KNOW I never remember details," or "I have no self-discipline."3. They minimize the impact of insults, breaches of trust, and harm to others -- e.g., "Everybody does it." or "Why are you so upset? It's no big deal"4. They attempt to absolve the excuse-maker of personal responsibility.5. They seem to make more sense after the fact, than they would have beforehand -- e.g., you might rationalize, "I deserved that pound of Godiva chocolates because I worked hard all day." But would it really make sense to say, "If I work hard today the best reward for my efforts is a pound of Godivas?"It's very tempting to make excuses. In fact it is one of your inner brat's favorite strategies. Excuses serve to protect you from facing your own shortcomings. They also try to keep other people from noticing your limitations. Excuses are a way of saying, "I'm really a good person, but . . ."At the same time, however, excuses are only a temporary, quick fix. You may feel better for the moment, but in the long run you are dissatisfied with yourself.No one has ever felt uplifted by making an excuse. Facing the truth is sometimes difficult, but it gives you the opportunity to take charge, to make positive decisions and to gradually eliminate the need for excuses.Here are some tips:1. Face the fact that you screwed up. For minor transgressions, it's not the end of the world. For major problems, your excuse isn't going to reverse the situation anyway. Things are what they are, and you can only move forward from there.2. Apologize. Acknowledge that it was your own fault. Keep it simple; e.g., "I'm sorry I'm late. I didn't allow enough time for traffic problems." Notice how this example starts with the word "I" in the explanation.3. Offer to make amends; e.g., "I won't let it happen again," or "Is there some way I can make this up to you?"4. Learn from the experience. Make a decision about how you will handle this or similar situations in the future.5. Write down your decision and treat it as a promise to yourself. This is especially useful for excuses you make to yourself, such as when you rationalize procrastination or abandoning your exercise program.Copyright Pauline Wallin, Ph.D. 2005. All rights reservedPauline Wallin, Ph.D. is a psychologist in Camp Hill, PA, and author of "Taming Your Inner Brat: A Guide for Transforming Self-defeating Behavior" (Wildcat Canyon Press, 2004) She is also a life coach.Visit http://www.innerbrat.com for more information, and subscribe to her free, monthly Inner Brat Newsletter.