How to Start Your Own Fitness Revolution

Currently in the US, over 60% of our population is overweight or obese. This means that the majority of people are searching for ways to fight this epidemic. Many of them will try different methods but still not achieve the results that they want. They may find that dieting every now and then or denying themselves certain foods will not work in the long run. So, how can you determine the proper way to lose those excess pounds and remain excited about what you are doing? The best way may be to stop focusing only on your job and try to find a hobby that gets you up and motivated. By having a consistent and progressive fitness routine, you will be able to constantly see improvements in your health and reap the best benefits from your workouts.

Accountability

You need to take responsibility for your workouts. You have to get off the couch, find the time and give it your all. You can come up with a billion excuses for not going to the gym or your fitness class; however, in the end it comes down to you. You have to schedule a time to go and make yourself go no matter what. There are also many different methods people use to maintain accountability throughout their workouts. Some rely on the help of others, like having a fitness partner. When you find someone who can schedule their routines at the same time as yours, you will not want to let them down by not showing up, and you may be more encouraged to go to the gym and get in some extra socializing. You can also use some of the new technology out there. There are many apps that can track your progress and results, and there are many online communities similar to facebook that are for fitness enthusiasts. However, if you happen to be old school, you can always keep a fitness journal that can track your fitness times, results and your eating habits. Again, it is up to you to find the best method to use to help you stick to your fitness routine.

Consistency

You need to know before starting a routine that it may take some time to get the results that you want. Remember the old saying Rome wasn’t built in a day. This can easily apply to your fitness routine. It is normal for us to want to see results right away, especially when we are living in the age of instant satisfaction. However, it will take time and a lot of hard work to get the body that we want. You need to stay strong and never give up if you want to achieve your goals. You need to have a consistent fitness routine that you can easily adapt and ease into slowly. Remember not to push yourself too hard in the beginning. You may end up injuring yourself, which can cause an unplanned hiatus in your fitness routine that many never return from.

Diet

For most of us, diet is defined as those brief periods of time that we deny ourselves certain foods or only eat certain foods in order to lose weight. However, we eventually come to realize that this or that diet does not work, and in the end we quit or diet and may even end up gaining more weight. We need to change the meaning of this word back to what it use to be. Our diet should be what we eat on a daily basis. In order to take our fitness routines to the next level and ensure success, we need to have a nutritious and well-rounded diet. We need to remember to eat healthy to make sure that our bodies are getting the proper fuel for our workouts. Try adding in some lean protein and vegetables to see how much more your body can do during your fitness routine. You may be amazed at how much clearer you can think and how much more you can achieve.

It does not matter which fitness level you are at. All you need to do is start out with some small lifestyle changes that you can keep up with easily and consistently. You need to devise a plan and stick with that plan. In time, you will start to see the results that you want, but you have to stay motivated to make sure that you give it enough time to achieve your goals.

- See more at: http://www.9round.com/blog/how-to-start-your-own-fitness-revolution/

Three Outdated Fitness Rules to Stop Following

Most of us have heard some fitness rule that others live by, and then as we get older notice that they are proven wrong or not the whole truth. It can happen to any set of rules. As we grow and evolve, so too does our knowledge of certain things. Here we will take a look at some of the more common misleading fitness rules out there and help you discover where the truth may lie. Take notice of our list and make sure that you are not following some of these outdated fitness rules.

• You can lose fat in just a certain area of your body by working it out more. There is no way that you can pick and choose which areas of your body you can reduce fat in. The truth is that spot training does not work, and in order to get the results that you want you need to focus on working out your entire body and following a healthy and nutritious diet. Fat loss happens all over the body, so any areas you have that contain more fat will just take a little longer than everything else to tone and shape.
• In order to obtain a strong and toned core, you have to do thousands of crunches. While crunches may be the go to exercise for most people wanting washboard abs, it is not the most effective exercise to help us achieve those washboard abs. In fact, crunches only workout the upper section of your abs and does little to improve your core strength; therefore, if you are looking to tone and strengthen your core, you may want to look elsewhere. Try doing some full body exercises that will strengthen and tone your core as well as other areas of your body, such as burpees and planks.Even kicks and squats engage your entire core.
• Lifting heavy weights will make you big and bulky. Most people think that if they lift use lighter weights that they will get lean and toned, but if they use heavy weights they will turn into the Hulk. This is not true. You need a weight that will make you work harder. If you chose a weight that does not require you to use much effort, then you will not see the results that you want. You want to feel as if you could not lift another set. When you feel this way, you can be sure that the results that you want are on the way.

Did you end up committing some of these outdated fitness rules? I hope not, but if you did, you can easily modify your workouts to include these new and updated rules. Who knows, once you have integrated some of these rules into your fitness routines, you may just see the results that you want.

- See more at: http://www.9round.com/blog/three-outdated-fitness-rules-to-stop-following/

8 Tips to Help You Safely Exercise at Night

It can be difficult trying to find the time to fit everything into our day. In today’s world, we usually find ourselves jumping from one task to another with no break in between. That is why some of us no matter how hard we try can seem to fit an exercise routine into our daily schedule. However, more and more of us are finding that maybe it is easier to for us if we do our exercising at night. This is a perfect way for us to fit in the required amount of physical activity each day and get all of our work done at the same time. But, if you do chose this option, you need to be aware of some of the extra precautions that you may need to take. Here are a look at some of the things that you may want to consider before you head out that door.

• Always plan ahead. Just in case something may happen, you may want to tell someone the time you will be leaving and should return, map out the route you will be using and let others be aware of your route. You never know if you may have an accident and be too injured to get help or worse. So, play it safe and let people know ahead of time what your plans are.
• Play it safe. Always take a cell phone with you and know if and where all the pay phones are on your route. You never know when you will need it, but it is best to have a phone or know where one is located for that one time when you do.
• Have some type of identification on you. Look for a place to put your id and any medical information you may need to have on you. In case you do have an accident you need the paramedics to know who you are and any medical conditions you may have. Your id will also help them locate your family and friends.
• Stay visible. It is not smart to go for a midnight run dressed in all black. Obviously, any passing cars will be unable to see you and will most likely end up hitting you. Therefore, try to wear bright colored clothes, clothes with some type of reflectors on them and carry some sort of light that people will easily see.
• Leave your valuables at home. For obvious reasons, you do not want to go out at night with a lot of money on you or exercise wearing your expensive watches or jewelry. The sad truth is that if someone notices you will be expensive things, you could be easily targeted for a robbery, so keep all of those nice things at home to lessen the risk of being targeted.
• Bring a friend. It is true that there is safety in numbers, but bringing a friend or two along can also help you stick with your fitness routine and get in some extra social time. This makes the buddy system an excellent idea for late night exercisers.
• Stay alert. You need to be aware of your surroundings. You never know what might be out there in the dark, so keep your eyes and ears open. Leave the headphones and any other distractions at home just to be on the safe side.
• Do not be afraid to call for help. You know the saying better safe than sorry. If you feel that something does not look right call the police or go to an open business and ask for help. Do not continue on your path, especially if it is in a desolate area. Trust your gut and seek out help immediately.

Exercising at night can be the perfect solution for some of us. It is much cooler and not as crowded, but we need to look out for our safety. Therefore, we need to know what to look out for and how to plan ahead. These tips are not meant to scare you or deter you from exercising at night but just keep them in mind as you find yourself walking out your door.

- See more at: http://www.9round.com/blog/8-tips-to-help-you-safely-exercise-at-night/

The Top 3 Misconceptions Concerning Weight Lifting

There are many dos and don’ts when it comes to weight lifting, and of course there are many fallacies floating around that many people take as truth. While, it is important to have some sort of strength training in your fitness routine, you need to make sure that you are correctly performing it and performing it in a way that will be suited for your needs. Therefore, you need to make sure that you are getting your information from the proper and most reliable place. Here we will look at a few of the most common weight lifting myths.

• If you use lighter weights, you will tone your body, but heavier weights will end up making you bulky. This is just not true. You do not need to be afraid that lifting heavy weights will turn you into the Hulk. In fact, most of us are unaware but lifting heavier weights and working until you become fatigued is actually more efficient at helping you achieve that nice and toned look you want than lifting lighter weights, and you can do less reps with these heavier weights and still reach your goals.
• Bulking up and building muscle mean the same thing. Do not associate building muscle with becoming a bodybuilder. You do not necessarily bulk up from building muscle. In fact muscle is more dense than fat, so you will look like you have lost weight. Also, the more muscle you have, the more fat you will burn. Therefore, you may gain muscle but still look lean and toned.
• Men and women need to lift weights differently. Most of us know that men are are proportionately stronger than women, simply because they have more muscle.  Men usually focus on their chests and arms, while women tend to focus on their legs and stomach. However, both men and women need to focus on full body exercises. Never limit your strength training routine because a man or woman should not lift this way or this much.

There are many misconceptions floating around out there. Did you happen to fall for any of them? That is fine; however, next time you need to do your research before believing what someone may have heard from a friend of friend. It is easy to believe these misconceptions, especially when they have been around for so long and repeated by so many. This makes it even more important to check with someone who is qualified and will know the truth behind the misconceptions.

- See more at: http://www.9round.com/blog/the-top-3-misconceptions-concerning-weight-lifting/

How to Stick with Your Fitness Routine

Most of us have tried to commit to a fitness routine at least once. It may be our New Year’s resolution or the beginning of summer and bikini season. However, for whatever reason many of us end up falling a little short of our fitness goals. We all can easily come up with an excuse to drop our fitness routines, even when we know the many benefits associated with working out consistently. However, we all need to look at exercise as a necessity and make getting fit a priority. When we do this, we should find it much easier to stick with our fitness routines. Here are a few tips that should help you along the way.

Set a smart goal

You need to have some sort of goal in mind when you begin a fitness routine. Your goal needs to be one that will motivate you and help you stick with your fitness routine. You want something that is challenging, but do-able. In other words, you should not begin a fitness routine thinking you are going to lose twenty pounds in a week. This is impossible and will only leave you frustrated and wanting to quit before you start. Now, if you aim to lose two pounds a week, then you could work hard and reach this goal, and once you reach your goal, you will start gaining some momentum. You will be excited to workout and proud of your progress.

Stay moving on rest days

Movement is important. Remember what they say “a body at rest stays at rest and a body in motion stays in motion.” Habits that we are founding can die fast if we aren’t doing something daily. On your rest days, make it your aim to take 15 minutes to stretch or do light movement, such as a stroll or gardening. The aim here is simply to keep a routine established, not necessarily focusing on another workout.

Make a killer playlist

Nothing can get you pumped up and ready to go like music. Music can be energizing and motivating at the same time. Just put on some of your favorite tunes and see how fast you are ready to take on the world. You are now powerful and invincible. If you’re really savvy, plan the best songs for the hardest portion of your workout routine. (You know where that super long hill is, plan the most pumping song for that exact moment).

It can be a little hard trying to stick with our fitness routine. The good news? Once you’re in about a week, mentally, you don’t want to start back at zero, and that motivates you! Give it 7 days and see what happens!

- See more at: http://www.9round.com/blog/how-to-stick-with-your-fitness-routine-2/

Why You May Not Be Shedding Those Excess Pounds

You have been diligently sticking to your fitness routine and strictly counting those calories. However, you may not be seeing the results that you want, and it can be made even harder to stay motivated.  Rather than jump off the fitness wagon, let’s examine a few possibilities that could hinder weight loss.

Miscalculations

Tracking what you eat can seem like a waste of time, but actually, it’s the most eye opening thing you can do! Don’t rely on your memory. If you have never tried writing down everything you eat, then don’t prejudge this simple practice. Do this for a few days and you will most likely find much evidence that you aren’t eating as “clean” as you thought!

Working out too hard

This may seem like a strange statement, but, actually you can workout at an intensity that’s too high for too long and end up burning muscle rather than fat. Make sure you stay in a moderately high zone without maxing out your heart rate for an entire workout. This can be hard to tell simply by how you FEEL, so the best option is to wear a heart rate monitor. At 9Round we have added wearable technology into our workout system with MyZone. This way, you can look up at the screen and see exactly where your heart zone is, in order to stay in what we call the fat burning zone!

This takes all the guesswork out of how hard you are going. If you’re not working out hard enough, you’ll know to take it up a notch! MyZone also tells you how many calories you burned and keeps track of your workouts for you.  It’s simply invaluable.

Fitness tracking in these two ways in like having a compass. You can’t really get where you want to be unless you know where you already are. I promise it’s worth it. Try these two tips and watch your results skyrocket!

- See more at: http://www.9round.com/blog/why-you-may-not-be-shedding-those-excess-pounds/

Get Organized and Get Fit

We have all seen those people. They seem to have it all together. They are able to fit in their morning workout routines, make breakfast, get the kids off to school and get themselves ready and out the door for work. I know what many of you are thinking, how can you get all of this done before 8 A.M.? I know that it can seem near impossible to accomplish all of this in such a short and hectic period of time; however, there are ways that you can manage your time to be more prepared for the day ahead. If you take the time to get up earlier and stick to a strict schedule then you may find yourself living the life of one of those people that seem to have it all together and being the envy of your neighbors.

How do they do it

The first thing that you need to understand is that you have to prepare for everything. Mornings can be a hectic and stressful time for everyone in your family, so you have to plan for the unexpected. The more organized people get up earlier than most people. Their alarm clock may wake them up at 5:15 in the morning, and they will get dressed and be out the door to start their morning run at about 5:30. They can fit in about 45 minutes of exercise and return home at 6:15. They then decide to fix everyone’s bagged lunches from the previous dinner’s leftovers or extra food they have already prepared ahead of time. Then they shower and get the kids up and going. The rest of their morning is probably very similar to yours. All they had to do is get up a little earlier than you and plan ahead. It seems pretty simple, but it will take a lot of motivation and willpower on your part.

Take baby steps

You should not expect to be able to change your routine so drastically overnight. You have to take baby steps, in order to help your body adapt. If you try to immediately get up 2 or 3 hours before you usually do and go for a morning run, your body will most assuredly rebel, and you will most likely end up quitting before you truly start. For the first week, it would probably be best if you try to get up maybe 30 minutes earlier than usual and try to do some short workouts in your home. You could get a fitness DVD or search the internet for some effective and quick workouts. Then the next week you can increase it to getting up an hour earlier than normal and going for a short morning run to help your body get used to running so early in the morning. Then in 3 weeks you can get up as early as you want and perform your morning run and routine as you would like them to be. Remember to stick with planning ahead. Have your run mapped out ahead of time, your work clothes ready and laid out and make sure you have food for everyone’s lunches. You have to be prepared for the day ahead, if you want to be able to keep up with your schedule.

It can seem overwhelming to start a new fitness routine. Just give yourself a week as a goal, and that momentum will motivate you to keep going.

- See more at: http://www.9round.com/blog/get-organized-and-get-fit/