Ten Things Everyone Should Know About Exercise

A lot of people are starting a new exercise program. Despite good intentions, most people don’t have a clue what the best way to train is. Here are ten things everyone should know about exercise that will help you develop an effective program so that you stay motivated and reach your goals!

#1: Lifting Light Weights Gets You Nowhere.

To get stronger, you need to “overload” your muscles with weights that you don’t handle on a daily basis. Studies show people sell themselves way short when picking their weights. Don’t make this mistake! Choose weights that are a major challenge to lift more than 10 to 12 times.

#2: Cardiovascular Conditioning Is Maximized With High-Intensity Exercise

Many people think they have to do long, slow aerobic exercise to get heart health benefits. Although this type of “cardio” is beneficial for the heart, the cardiovascular system works at its maximal level when you are recovering from near maximal efforts such as a 30-second sprint or a high-intensity strength circuit.

#3:Exercise Is Most Effective For Reducing Body Fat When You Pair It With A Smart Diet

If you’re starting to exercise to get lean, you’ll be SO much more successful if you invest equal energy into developing healthy eating habits as you do your workouts.

#4: You Can’t Lose Fat From An Area Like Your Abs By Doing Crunches

Same goes for thighs—you don’t directly lose leg fat from squats. What happens is you build muscle in your abs by doing total body lifts, and in your legs by doing squats. This makes them look firmer and leaner. To lose the fat that covers up the muscle, you train the whole body and optimize your diet.

#5: Consistency Is The Most Important Factor In Your Success

The biggest pitfall for novice trainees is to be inconsistent. Skipping a workout here or there DOES matter. Getting stronger and changing your body requires you to string together a series of workouts. Remember that every workout counts and gets you that much closer to reaching your goals.

#6: You Don’t Need To Get Fancy

Excitement about training may tempt you to try a wide range of exercise modes from Olympic lifts to aerial suspension training. Really there’s no need to go crazy. Learning a few multi-joint exercise that use more than one muscle such as squats, deadlifts, chin-ups, and pull-ups is the best way to develop base levels of strength and get you measurable body composition results.

#7: Exercise Has A Dramatic Effect On Blood Sugar Function

By building muscle, you increase both the receptivity of the muscles to insulin and their demand for glucose. This contributes to better body composition and protects you from diabetes, which is the biggest health problem facing Americans today.

#8: Exercise Correlates With Lower Risk Of Cancer

This might be because how much muscle tissue you have is a primary predictor of survival from cancer. Better hormone balance also plays a role. For instance, teen girls who exercise experience the greatest reduction in breast cancer risk later in life because physical activity optimizes estrogen metabolism.

#9:Exercise Helps You Be Your Own Champion

It’s the perfect way to kick start other healthy behaviors. You start lifting and you get more in tune with your body, which makes you want to eat better so you feel energized when you wake up in the morning. You become one of those people who everyone looks up to because you seize the day.

#10:You Can Exercise Anywhere—You Don’t Need A Gym

Try bodyweight exercises, sprints, or stairwell runs when you don’t have weights handy!