TIP! Many people think they need a gym in order to get fit. However, all that’s really needed to keep your body in shape are six types of exercises.

There are a number of benefits that come with fitness, including protection from injury and illness, providing a feeling of strength and confidence and improvement in appearance. A lot of people have trouble knowing where to begin, though. The tips provided here will aid you in getting started on your fitness regimen.

TIP! Get an exercise regimen that works for your body, and it will be easy to stay at it. It’s important to choose exercises that you like, so that you will actually get excited about the opportunity to work out.

Examine your interests and find an exercise program that you enjoy now, and will probably enjoy six months from now. Make sure your fitness is something that you find fun, this way time will go by faster.

TIP! If you are still short of your fitness goals, give yourself a confidence boost on your quest to get fit: buy a new clothing item to work out in. Even if what you buy is relatively small, it will lift up your spirits when you wear it and will give you the motivation to exercise.

Counting your calories helps you stay more fit. You need to keep track of your calories because your calorie balance determines how your weight changes from day to day. By keeping your calories at maintenance level or less, and losing calories through exercise, you’ll be fit in no time.

TIP! An easy way to lose some weight is by counting calories. When you know the number of calories you ingest every day, you can better determine whether you will gain or lose weight.

Don’t be scared. Biking is also a great exercise for endurance and stamina, especially if running isn’t your strong suit. Biking is an expensive, fun, and effective way to get in shape. You can start by biking to work. A drive that is 5 miles is a 30 minutes bike ride so check off exercising from your to-do list before you even get to work.

TIP! Lifting weight should be limited to an hour or less. After an hour your muscles will begin to suffer from severe fatigue.

Do ab exercises other than crunches. Studies show that after 250,000 crunches only a pound of fat is burned. Because of this, crunches alone are not sufficient for a total ab workout. For best results, incorporate different abdominal exercises into your routine.

TIP! Having strong thighs will insure against injuring your knees. A very common sports injury is getting a torn ligament just behind the kneecap.

If you are constantly dedicated to your fitness and better health, then getting a professional trainer is well worth your money. Personal trainers can help you optimize your workout so that you get the most out of it, and also keep your motivation up when it flags. Make sure that a personal trainer is right for you before you hire one.

TIP! Don’t do crunches as your sole abdominal exercise. Just one fat pound burns off for every 250,000 crunches that you complete.

Keep a fitness diary showing what you did during your day. Note your regular workouts as well as any extra moving you do. You can tell how far you have walked in a day if you use a pedometer through the day. Writing down your progress helps you to accomplish all of your goals.

TIP! When lifting weights, doing many reps of lighter weights is far more effective at increasing muscle mass than doing only a few reps with heavier weights. Muscle mass isn’t about lifting the most, but enduring the longest without loss of strength.

Keep your rpms under 110 and above 80 to optimize your bicycling experience. This helps put less strain on your knees and it helps you ride quicker and longer without getting tired. It’s simple to determine a bike’s RPM. See how many rotations your right leg completes in ten seconds, then multiply that value by six. You should try to keep this rpm.

TIP! Carve out time in your busy schedule to exercise. Doing something as simple as taking the stairs instead of the elevator each morning can make a big difference in your fitness.

As you lift weights up above your head, flex your glutes with each rep. This will help firm up your butt while helping your body to align itself better for a safer work out. The more stabilized position of your spine greatly diminishes your risk for injury.

TIP! Make your count in reverse. Rather than counting upwards when tallying repetitions, count backwards from the intended total.

One fun exercise is kickboxing. Kickboxing requires a lot of physical movements and is a very good workout. You will get rid of many calories kickboxing and get stronger, too.

TIP! Listen to your body when it tells you to rest. Some coaches recommend that you don’t rest after every set.

If you are going to workout, try to avoid calling it exercise or working out. Referring to your routine by those names can reduce your motivation for exercise. Try using the actual name of the activity you are doing, like swimming or cycling.

TIP! When you are doing crunches or situps, press your tongue to the top of your mouth. Holding your tongue in this position keeps your neck muscles properly aligned as you do your ab exercises.

Starting dips is a great fitness ideas. They focus exertion on the triceps, chest area, as well as the shoulders. There are several ways to do dips. You can place two benches appropriately and use them to do the dips between them. Try holding some weights when you do these exercises.

TIP! Doing free-weight squats with barbells is an excellent exercise to give you a really nice looking, muscular shape. One of the best exercises you can do are squats, since they build up many of your muscles, and also create an increase in your growth hormone which gains you total body mass.

The introduction to this article explained that getting fit will improve your health, endurance, and looks. As the advice in this article shows, making the first steps towards physical fitness can be easy and fun. Put these ideas into play in your lifestyle, and you will quickly notice your health improving.