Choosing a Home Gym For Your Fitness Goals

Limited time due to a busy schedule of balancing
work and family can prevent anyone from regular exercise at the gym.  A
home gym, however, could just be the solution to incorporate fitness
into your daily routine.  With the variety of fitness equipment
available, how do you select which is right for you?  Consider the
following during your planning and purchase.     
 Fitness goals.  Determine your fitness
goals.  Deciding your fitness goals before you start your equipment
selection will help you make a wiser purchase.   Do you want to perform
strength training to reshape your muscles? Boost your energy or loss
weight through cardiovascular exercise?  If you want to strength train,
decide the muscle groups you want to target.  Here is a list of the
major muscle groups for you to keep in mind when considering what
equipment is right for you: 
Pectoralis major and minor (chest)
Deltoids and trapezius (shoulders)
Latissimus dorsi, teres major and minor, rhomboid
(upper back)
Biceps, brachialis (front of arms)
Triceps (back of arms)
Gluteus maximus (buttocks)
Quadriceps (front of thighs)
Hamstrings (back of thighs)
Gastrocnemius, soleus (calves)
Rectus abdominis, obliques (abdomen)
Erector spinae, quadratus lumborum (lower back)
Sternocleidomastoids, scalene, splenii (neck)

Space.  Before you decide to make a
purchase, designate a place specifically for your home gym.  Ensure you
have adequate space to accommodate everything in the home gym.  You
should measure the dimensions of your room, (the length, width and
height) to have available when purchasing the equipment.

Equipment.  After you have determined your
fitness goals, shop for equipment, which will help you to meet them.
Examples of equipment for aerobic exercises are treadmills, stationary
bicycles, and stair-steppers.  You could even invest in a television to
workout with aerobic tapes or view your favorite show while jogging on
your treadmill.   
Strength training equipment can include free
weights such as “dumbbells” or “barbells”, or a multi-station machine
(also known as a home gym).  If you plan to lift heavy free weights you
may need a lifting partner.  Your partner will help you check your form
and monitor safety.  For more equipment ideas, you could take a tour of
a fitness center. 
Cost:  Ask yourself, how much money do you
want to spend.  Most fitness equipment can range from $500-$1000 and
more if you want a total body work out. Typically, quality equipment is
priced in the upper range.
 A Test Ride.  Always test the equipment
before you buy it.  Test the machines for comfort and satisfaction. 
Talk to the Experts.  Purchase your equipment from a fitness
specialty store.  These stores specialize in fitness equipment and
provide a broad selection for you to choose from.  Specialty fitness
stores would also employ certified associates to address your questions
regarding exercise equipment. 
Increase your Knowledge.  Be certain you
increase your knowledge of weight training safety and proper technique
to reduce injury.  Read directions for your fitness equipment and follow
them.
Remember!  Choosing equipment and exercises, which
are fun for you, will help you to keep at it and enjoy it. Stop by
lipo : botonics are a leading cosmetic surgery clinic specialising in lipo, fat removal and liposuction surgery.
bodybuilding supplements : Monster Supplements are leading suppliers of cheap bodybuilding supplements including fat burners, muscle supplements, creatine & protein supplements from brands such as maximuscle, phd nutrition & optimum nutrition.
Suits SuitGiant offers mens suits, dress shirts, ties, Wedding Suits, tuxedos, accessories and more.

Share |
  • Digg
  • Del.icio.us
  • StumbleUpon
  • Reddit
  • RSS

Trying to get your kids off the couch? Let them jump on a mini trampoline

Are you concerned about your kids sitting
around the house too much? Do they spend their day watching TV,
playing video games or surfing the net? Are they turning into
couch potatoes? As a parent you know how hard it is to get your
child to do something good for their health. Heck, you probably
haven’t been able to get them to eat carrots since they were
toddlers, how are you supposed to convince them to go to the
gym, or for a run. The key is finding an exercise that they
enjoy, so they will continue to exercise and make it a lifetime
habit. This is where the mini trampoline comes in.
 Do you remember how much fun you had
jumping on the bed as a kid? The Mini Trampoline, or Urban
Rebounder lets your kids have the same fun experience without
ruining your mattress or getting hurt from a fall off the bed.  
The mini trampoline is one of the most
versatile pieces of exercise equipment. You kids can jump on it
in front of the television, or outside, and when it’s not in
use, it easily fits in a closet or even under the bed.  
Let’s look at some of the benefits of
working out on the Mini Trampoline 
  • It’s a low impact form of exercise
  • Burns more calories than jogging
  • Improves circulation
  • Gives you a great cardio workout
  • Strengthens your legs and thighs
  • Improves balance and coordination
  • Its very portable
 Above all, it is A LOT OF FUN!!!!. 
Don’t think rebounding is just for kids.
You’ll get a great workout out of this as well. The mini
trampoline is perfect for your entire family and a great
investment in your health and fitness as well. It helps you burn
fat and calories fast, but also works great when it comes to
strength training. Your biggest problem will be to get a turn to
work out. (We suggest you wait until the kids are in school).  
When you are shopping for a mini trampoline
look for a model with six legs. It will be a lot more stable
than some of the cheaper four legged models. If you’re just
starting out and also as an extra safety precaution, look for a
model with a stabilizer bar.

Share |
  • Digg
  • Del.icio.us
  • StumbleUpon
  • Reddit
  • RSS

How Dance Dance Revolution is getting kids off the couch

Dance Dance revolution is the latest dance craze that is a fun and addictive way to lose weight and get into shape.
Are you concerned about the lack of exercise your child is getting? Would you like to see them up and moving instead of sitting around so much?
Dance Dance revolution is the latest dance craze that is a fun and addictive way to help your child get get up and move without realizes they are even exercising.
Our kids health and fitness is more important today than ever before since video games, TV and computers are turning our kids into couch potatoes. This new dance craze called Dance Dance revolution is a video game played on a gaming system but it is not your typical video game. This fun and exciting Dance pad is hooked up to any play station or Xbox then the player chooses one of their favorite songs from the DDR video game.
This fast paced game will surely get your child’s  heart pumping and their feet moving!  The player  chooses their song and they move their feet to the pattern of the arrows on the dance pad while keeping the beat to the flashing arrows that are moving side to side and up and down. As your child gets more practice on this engaging game, you will move to higher and higher levels which will progressively turn the game into a fun and challenging workout.
There are many kids today that do not like the typical physical activities that sports provide but once they try Dance Dance Revolution they are usually hooked.
There are many levels from beginner to advanced even the youngest of children can play Dance Dance Revolution. What better way to get your children involved in exercise than by doing something they love. If you have a gaming system such as a Play station or Xbox you can own Dance revolution, just connect the DDR Pad to any of these systems. If you want your kids up off the couch doing something that is good for them while they are having fun I highly recommend DDR. What better gift can you give them? Next time your child asks for a play station or Xbox game buy them the DDR pad and game.
Make sure your child keeps his water bottle close by, he/she is going to need it after this workout.

Weight Loss and Dance revolution

Dance Dance Revolution games offer a specific "Workout Mode" in which players can choose a song, and play accordingly using either the normal step routine, or a modified step routine designed to provided a workout. The workout mode also allows players to track their progress, not in the standard step scores, but by calories burned, minutes played, and distance traveled. The game also calculates the equivalent of DDR dancing to common exercise activities, and can keep track of a player’s weight as well.
The built-in workout features have inspired many DDR fans to make playing DDR their primary source of exercise, and some have built entire weight-loss regimens around the game. However, as with all new diet or exercise plans, it is recommended that one discusses the changes with their doctor.
There are many different types of DDR pad you can purchase.; You will need a gaming system such as a Play station or an Xbox and of course the DDR pads and DDR games
So if you are interested in an extremely fun way to get in shape go ahead and give Dance Dance Revolution a try!
Hear what others are saying about DDR:
Natalie, 14, was drawn to the pulsing techno songs, and didn’t realize she had slimmed down until she went clothes shopping.
"I went to go buy pants and the 14s were too big. The more I played, I gradually had to get smaller size pants," said Natalie, who now buys size 8 baggy.
Zachary 13, I did not even realize that I was exercising until my mom said something to me one day about losing weight.  I realized that Dance revolution was not only fun but I was getting a great workout!
Copyright © 2005 by Fitness and Kids. All content of this article is owned by Fitness and Kids. You must obtain permission to reproduce the article in whole or in part. To request permission,

Share |
  • Digg
  • Del.icio.us
  • StumbleUpon
  • Reddit
  • RSS

Family Fitness

Family Fitness

Fit families are healthy families who have an active lifestyle.  Frequently, they enjoy the things they do together, and the things they do together foster better communication and closer relationships than watching TV does.
Family fitness takes some parental commitment, leadership, and imagination, and you may have to listen to a lot of grousing and whining to start with, but the entire family will benefit as a result.  Five factors that affect your family fitness plan are cost, convenience, family-friendly environment, fun, and success.
Cost
Family fitness doesn’t have to be expensive. Sure, you can drop a couple of hundred dollars or more taking the family skiing. But you can find a slope and sled down it on plastic trash bags for free. Most communities have free or low-cost family activities at community centers or parks. Check your local newspaper or parks and recreation department, and use your imagination to come up with activities your family can do together that don’t break the bank.
Convenience
Families are busy, and convenience is essential to a family fitness plan. If you have to go through a lot of hassle or travel a long way on a regular basis, you won’t follow through. Plan activities that you can do in your own backyard or neighborhood, like play Frisbee. You can also stay home to rake up leaves and jump in them, or make snow angels in the winter months. If you join a club or team, make it one that’s convenient to get to, and one the entire family can be a part of. Joining a bowling league is a great way to keep the family involved.
Family-Friendly Environment
When you join a club or plan an activity, make sure your whole family is welcome. It’s not much fun to look forward to an outing, and then discover that your kids are the only ones there. You want an appropriate environment for young children, too, where they will be safe and not exposed to “adult” language or behavior.
Fun
Fun is the key to successful family fitness. If everybody has fun, you’ll all want to do it again. Ask the kids what kind of activities they enjoy. You could even let them choose some family activities and help with the planning. Have a family meeting, and come up with a list of activities your family wants to try.
In addition to making sure your family fitness activities are fun, you can make sure your family fun activities center around fitness. ; Take everybody miniature golfing for a birthday instead of having a cake-and-ice-cream party. Celebrate Independence Day by going on a 10K walk together (which you’ll have to train for together). Walk around your neighborhood at Christmas and enjoy the lights, or sing carols. Bring fun and activity together as often as you can, and you and your kids will begin to associate an active lifestyle with having fun.
Success
Every member of your family needs to feel successful at whatever activities your family chooses. They don’t all have to be good at the activity as long as they enjoy it and feel good about themselves doing it. Family fitness can become an unhealthy competition that leaves less athletic family members feeling like failures, and that can defeat the purpose. Choose activities that everybody can participate in and enjoy at least moderate success at.<
When our families pursue fitness together, we benefit in other ways, too. Your kids will remember and treasure family camping trips, going swimming together, and having family snowball fights.  You’re building good health habits and good childhood memories at the same time, and the whole family is having fun doing it.

Share |
  • Digg
  • Del.icio.us
  • StumbleUpon
  • Reddit
  • RSS

Starting your Child on an Exercise Program

In today’s world, it would seem that more and more people tend to put exercise on the backburner in favor of more fast paced results to our desires.  In recent years, there have been a significant number of diet pills claiming the “true” scientific way to lose weight and gain muscle definition.  Unfortunately, it would seem that this kind of mentality has been passed on to our kids, and that they are finding less motivation to exercise.
Exercise programs for kids are hugely important.  America holds the not so illustrious title of the fattest nation in the world and this moment, our kids are poised to inherit that title.  That is something that all parents would not find as a particularly comforting thought.
For those of you not yet convinced that an exercise program for your kids isn’t a priority: The American Obesity Association states the single largest factor in childhood obesity is lack of physical activity and excessive sedentary behavior—that is to say, watching too much TV and playing too many video games.

Why Start My Kid on an Exercise Program?

Outside of the social pariah status of the obese in our society, there are significant, easily avoidable health risks involved with obesity.  The AOA lists common health conditions associated with children who are obese because of lack of regular exercise. These conditions include asthma, Type 2 Diabetes, hypertension, orthopedic problems, and most frightening, sleep apnea—a condition in which breathing ceases during sleeping.  Obviously not permanently, but the effects are loss of focus and a significant increase in the loss of logical
thought.
An exercise program for your children is so important because of the large amount of health problems associated with those are inactive—namely obesity.  Since 1974, the number of children classified as obese under the age of 11 has increased more than four times; from roughly 4 per cent to over 16 per cent in 2000 with the single largest cause of obesity is lack of exercise.
To help your child avoid these health risks, not to mention the psychological risks of being outcast because of weight, you need to set them up on a regular exercise program.
Children’s exercise programs are not hard to do—just get them outside or keep them inside, but focus on them getting active. It’s important to realize than a children’s exercise program does not necessarily mean pumping iron—rather it has more to do with cardiovascular activities that burn lots of energy.  Examples of great cardiovascular activities are running, swimming, rowing, canoeing, rock climbing—the list goes on.  It also doesn’t need to be simply running—it can be a game of tag, catch, playing soccer outdoors; anything that gets your kids heart beating and
gets them sweating a bit.
Research has also shown that obese children tend to be more depressed than other children who are fit.  In addition, physical activities, especially cardiovascular activities can actually make you feel great.  The so called “runner’s high” is caused when someone who is engaged a high amount of cardiovascular activity gets a massive dump of dopamine into the brain—a chemical that instills a euphoric state in the person doing the activity, a natural high.
It would seem logical that getting your child on an exercise program should be a paramount as a parent to ensure the health and happiness of your child.  But along with the exercise goes a good diet, healthy relationships, staying active, and of course, laughing a lot.  All of these things contribute to your child’s life, and an exercise program for your child is, in reality, just a piece of the puzzle.

Share |
  • Digg
  • Del.icio.us
  • StumbleUpon
  • Reddit
  • RSS

Kids Inflatable Water Slides

Kids Inflatable Water Slides=Great Fun For Kids

Kids Inflatable Water Slides

In the smoldering heat of summer, most prefer to stay outdoors and have fun. However, children always crave for excitement and fun. Since you cannot afford to bring them to water parks everyday, why not purchase kids inflatable water slides and turn your backyard into your very own water park?
Kids get bored easily during summer months, especially if they have been doing the same things and playing the same games everyday. With kids inflatable water slides, you will be able to give them the best summer of their entire lives.
Choosing the right water slide           Tropical Wave DS R main1 300x300 Kids Inflatable Water Slides=Great Fun For Kids
There are many types and brands of inflatable water slides available in the market. With that, it can be a little difficult to select which one to get. Before buying out kids inflatable water slides, carefully think first about the right size to get. Think about the age of the children who will be spending most of their times waddling in your inflatable pool. From there, you will be able to narrow down your selection.
Consider also the size of your backyard. Do not get a huge one that will not fit in your house so as not to waste money.
Where to get the best deals?
While there are many stores out there that sell kids inflatable water slides, you might want to take advantage of different promotions and discounts. Most stores sell inflatable slides at lowered price once summer months are fast approaching. Be aware of the latest sales in the mall.
Before buying the inflatable water slides make sure that there are no holes, tears, or rips that can affect the quality of your slide. You can check this with the sales assistant in the mall.
Keeping your water slide safe
Once you have installed the inflatable water slide in your home, here are some friendly reminders to ensure the safety of the kids as they play:
1. Inflate your water slide in the smoothest surface of your backyard. Make sure that there are no sharp things such as rocks or sticks to the location of your inflatable slide to prevent damage.
2. Prior to using it, make sure that it is fully inflated.
3. Fill the pool area with water before letting the kids slide down.
4. Ensure that there is an adult nearby whenever children will play in the inflatable water slide. Do not allow them to play if no one will watch out for them, especially if there are little children swimming as well.
5. If there are toddlers using the pool area of the inflatable, make sure that they are of good distance from the edge of the slide. This is to keep them safe, in case someone uses the slide.
6. Do not allow multiple kids to slide down all at the same time to prevent accidents. As much as possible, provide a good distance between the first slider from the second.
7. Make use of inflatable lifesavers in the pool. It is better to be safe than sorry in the end.
Making the most out of your inflatable water slides
Kids inflatable water slides are not just for summer months. They can be used whenever you have celebrations in your house to keep the children entertained. Inflatable water slides are a good investment to buy.

Share |
  • Digg
  • Del.icio.us
  • StumbleUpon
  • Reddit
  • RSS

Kids Inflatables Provide Your Kids With A Fun Activity

There is nothing quite like being a kid. It is a time in your life where there is little responsibility and plenty of fun to be had.  But with technology continuously advancing, more and more kids are relying on video games and computer games to have fun as oppose to getting out and being active.  Luckily, there are kids inflatables that can get your kids out of the house and become more active.

Let’s be honest; there are not too many kids that are going to go to a track and run or jump rope for fun.  While these are activities that can be extremely beneficial, they are just not that enjoyable to most kids.  But obesity is becoming a big problem with society today and the younger generations.

It is up to you as the parent to help your kids find enjoyable activities that will allow them to get some exercise in. Sports can be a great way to get your kids active while keeping them entertained at the same time. But one kind of activity that every kid loves is jumping in kids inflatables.

There are several different kinds of inflatables on the market that can be purchased for a decent price.  It all depends on the style you are getting and the size of the inflatable.  One kind of inflatable is a Draco inflatable bouncer.  This inflatable bouncer comes with a slide for kids to go down and a ten foot wide and ten foot long area to bounce in.This is the perfect bouncer for your kids to get in and release energy while getting exercise at the same time.

Another inflatable that many kids are familiar with is a giant castle to bounce in.  While you can find many different sizes for these castles, around seven feet long and eleven feet wide is fairly normal.  This too has a slide for kids to go down and have fun with.

The great thing about kids inflatables is that they can be set up virtually anywhere in the backyard.  While they do take up quite a bit of room, it can easily be deflated and folded up.  Then when you want to blow it up, all you have to do is unfold it and hook it up to the air blower.

When it comes to providing your kids with fun activities, kids inflatables are the way to go. They can release a lot of energy, have a good time and still get in the needed exercise that many kids are lacking today. It is a convenient way to provide all of the above for your kids.

Check out this cool Home Water Slide that your children will play on all summer long. They won’t even realize how much they are sweating!

Share |
  • Digg
  • Del.icio.us
  • StumbleUpon
  • Reddit
  • RSS