Wednesday, October 3, 2012

Health and Fitness Tips For Men

Americans today are living life on the fast track. Most of the internet searches are for fast or easy weight loss. While most of the information is geared towards women, men are also interested and in need of health and fitness tips.
Men have the advantage where they can lose weight much easier than women. There are many different health and fitness programs out there for men. Yoga and Pilates are not just for women anymore. There are exercise videos that focus on Yoga and Pilates for Men. There are different types of home exercise equipment that are low cost and easy to use. You just need to have the motivation to follow through with your plans for a healthier life.
Heart Disease, Diabetes, prostate cancer, and other health issues are a rising concern for men. These reasons can and should be a good source of motivation for men today. Men can follow these health and fitness tips to lose weight and get healthy and fit.
Starting out the day with a healthy breakfast helps to kick start metabolism and keeps blood sugar levels even. It also gives a person more energy. When a man eats breakfast, he is less likely to eat larger portions of unhealthy food later in the day. Eating plenty of fiber rich foods is important to fill up and feel satisfied between meals. Try to eat whole grains - whole wheat bread, potatoes, and brown rice, instead of white bread, white rice, and pastas - that are simple starches and turn right into sugar. The whole grains take longer to digest and can assist with maintaining lean muscle tissue.
Men are able to eat larger portions of protein than women. They should still concentrate on eating lean proteins such as chicken, turkey, and fish on a daily basis instead of red meat. They should also make sure to eat plenty of fruits and vegetables.
Men can also benefit from portion control and watching their portion sizes. Eating smaller meals more frequently throughout the day as opposed to eating the three traditional square meals a day really does help to keep the metabolism running smoothly and helps to build lean muscle tissue.
The best way to lose weight is with a combination of cardio, strength training and a healthy diet. But, the cornerstone of most weight loss programs is cardio. Exercising on a daily basis is a good way to get in shape and boost metabolism. Many men are concerned about building muscle and may only concentrate on strength training. Cardio is necessary in any fitness program because:
1) It helps you burn more calories in one sitting. Getting your heart rate up means your blood is pumping, you're breathing hard, you're sweating and burning calories.
2) With many cardio exercises, you can burn 100 to 500 calories depending on how hard you work, how long you exercise and how much you weigh.
3) Burning calories with exercise means you don't have to cut as many calories from your diet.
4) You can do cardio exercise most days of the week without worrying about injury or over training.
Nutritional supplements can be used in conjunction with eating healthy foods and exercise to build lean muscle. There are many supplements out there designed especially for men and their unique health and fitness needs. They are not meant to be a shortcut to weight change, and taking too much of any one supplement can pose serious health risks. The good news is that average person is unlikely to take so much of a nutrient that they run into trouble. But it's always wise to check in with a doctor before you start using a supplement regularly. And that's definitely true if you're using any supplement in high doses or for prolonged periods of time.
It is very important that you keep yourself hydrated during any strenuous activity. Sports drinks like Gatorade, Powerade, and All Sport can give you a needed energy boost during your activity. They are designed to rapidly replace fluids and to increase the sugar (glucose) circulating in your blood. Energy Drinks can help boost your energy, but many use sugar and caffeine as their active ingredients used as stimulants. In fact, excessive use of energy drinks can cause symptoms such as upset stomach, leg weakness, heart palpitations, being jittery, nervousness, and more. Drink these energy drinks on an empty stomach and the effects can be magnified. Never underestimate the power of drinking water and making sure to get at least 6-8 glasses a day.

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