There has been a lot of seemingly contradictory advice about how much water you need to drink while exercising.

Water, per se, is only part of the equation. Of more concern is the loss of electrolytes, primarily sodium and potassium which are critical to the proper functioning of muscle cells in particular.

There is also a difference when you consider gender…women on average need 2.7 liters of water per day, while men need 3.7 liters.
These amounts are for a person who is very physically active or who live in hot climates.
On average 80% of our water consumption comes from drinking water and beverages, and the other 20% comes from our food.

As far as salt requirements, a healthy 19 to 50 year old requires 1.5 grams of sodium and 2.3 grams of chloride each day…or 3.8 grams of sodium chloride…better known as ‘table salt’.
This amount will replace the amount lost due to perspiration and to achieve a diet that provides sufficient amounts of other essential nutrients.
High blood pressure, which can lead to a stroke, and coronary heart disease as well as kidney disease, is associated with sodium intake.
The maximum intake of sodium that people should consume per day, also known as the ‘upper intake level’ or UL, is 5.8 grams of salt or 2.3 grams of sodium and 3.5 grams of potassium.

Older people, those with chronic diseases such as hypertension, diabetes, and kidney disease, are particularly susceptible to the blood pressure raising effects of salt and should reduce their intake.

Dehydration resulting from strenuous exercise can seriously impair the body’s ability to dissipate excess heat. The heat generated by strenuous exercise is the result from both chemical processes - generating the energy needed to perform the exercise - and the friction of all those muscle fibers rubbing against each other.

To make this issue even more complicated are the reports of people who have consumed too much water - hyponatremia - even some who have died as the result of drinking too much water after exercising.

Fortunately, this problem is actually quite easy to solve. You need to drink as much water as you use. Simply weigh yourself before and after your exercise session and the difference is how much water you used.
Another way to gauge this is to listen to your body…it will tell you when you need a drink. If it doesn’t tell you it is thirsty, then you are probably OK.

As you age, the ‘feeling’ of thirst alone may not be accurate.
This is why you need to weigh yourself to get a much more objective view of how much water you are using.
And don’t forget about the electrolytes…you need to keep a balanced intake of sodium and potassium.

The easiest way to do this is with a ’sports’ beverage, which are fortified with both sodium and potassium.
You need to read the label and factor in the amount of those nutrients into your diet to maintain the correct amount of total salt you consume per day.

To sum it all up…listen to your body and consume the amount of water you need.
Everybody is unique and will need a slightly different amount of water from others, as well as a different amount determined on how strenuous the exercise is and what the ambient conditions are - humidity and temperature.

Maintaining proper hydration is a very important part of your exercise program. A little forethought and understanding will go a long way to your finding the most effective way to achieving your personal goals…no matter what they are.

The author has been an aerobics instructor for over 28 years. He has taught classes for private health clubs and has been a Certified Group Instructor for the Y.M.C.A. since 1980. He is currently developing web sites focused on Health and Fitness.

To read more on health and fitness programs that work Contact the author by email

Fitness interval training, if you aren’t currently using it, could be the very thing to boost your exercise motivation as well as your fat-burning capacity. This is a method of training that combines different levels of exercise intensity during the same exercise session.

Training in this fashion creates an increased tolerance to lactic acid buildup. The will substantially increase both your aerobic and anaerobic capacities to exercise. In other words, you will be able to exercise longer and see more improvements without all of the soreness typically seen in less conditioned individuals.

Elite competitive athletes have long used interval training to maximize their performance potential. These athletes typically exercise at extremes that would not be recommended for the general population. However, anyone can benefit from moderate intensity intervals. Obviously, you should consult with your physician prior to implementing any exercise program. Additionally, you may want to work with a certified personal trainer on how to best use a fitness interval training program for maximum benefits.

Interval training involves the gradual increasing of exercise intensity until the anaerobic threshold is being approached. This will be perceived as your maximal effort. After exercising at this intensity for a specified period of time the intensity is then decreased. This interval continues for a period and is followed by another interval of increased intensity.

Fitness interval training can be used as a part of both your aerobic and strength training workouts. Here are some advantages you will discover in both forms of these essential exercise programs:

Aerobic Workout:

Improved cardiac endurance

Improved ability for prolonged slow cardio workouts

Enhanced muscle-building capacity

Prevention of boredom

Higher number of calories burned

Strength training workout:

More calories burned

More muscle groups worked in less time

Faster strength gains

Faster toning and shaping of muscles

Prevention of boredom

How would a beginning exerciser incorporate fitness interval training into their exercise routine?

This is a good question because this type of training is great for beginners. Beginners will notice much quicker results using interval training. Here’s how you might begin.

For your aerobic program you might start with 20 minute exercise sessions. You decide that walking will be the form of exercise you use. You might walk at what you consider a good pace for you for 5 minutes. You then walk more briskly for one minute. You then alternate these two speeds until you complete your exercise session. Each week you might change the intensity or time of your more intense interval. Eventually you may even work in some 30 second jogging intervals.

Remember to always warm up and cool down. Incorporating these more intense intervals will bring you much quicker results in your conditioning and appearance.

I hope you are now motivated to give fitness interval training a try. You will not be disappointed in your results.

Dr. Steve Tuggle is a practicing dentist, certified personal trainer (ACE, ACSM), certified wellness coach, life coach, ordained minister, and internet entrepreneur. You can learn more about how to improve your health and wellness at http://www.elite-wellness-coaching.com

For more information on fitness interval training and HOW TO LOSE BELLY FAT visit http://www.elite-wellness-coaching.com/fitness-interval-training.html

What was revealed was some pretty interesting, yet expected, results. A whopping 83% of respondents said that a lack of motivation is what kept them from exercising regularly. The rest of the answers were equally split between not having enough time and not knowing what to do.

So with these results in mind it would only make sense to give you some added ways to get motivated to exercise on a regular basis.

1. Know the benefits of exercise.

Isn’t true that you are more motivated to do things that you’ll benefit from. The more you benefit, the more motivated you are. For example, if I told you I’d give you 5 dollars to take a 30-minute walk tomorrow morning, would you do it? Maybe, maybe not?

But what if I put $1 million on the table for taking a walk? You bet you would take that walk!

What you need to realize is that the benefits of exercise are even more compelling than a million bucks! What if you were a multi-millionaire but all of a sudden could no longer walk up a flight of stairs of fell ill due to poor lifestyle and lack of exercise?

You see, nothing matters more than your health and vitality - NOTHING!

Exercise keeps you young, strong, capable of performing your day to day tasks with ease, makes you feel more confident and happy, and much more!

So, it’s simple…MOVE YOUR #SS!

2. Realize the consequences of not exercising

The consequences are many.

Lethargy, disappointment in yourself, being fat, being out of breath, unable to walk of stairs easily, sore joints and muscles, lack of flexibility, lack of strength, more susceptible to injury, difficulty shoveling snow, mowing the lawn, or gardening, sour outlook on life because of how you feel about yourself, inability to reach your full human potential, tough time fitting into clothes that make you feel sexy, feeling uncomfortable in social settings, depression, disease, premature death, etc… I could go on forever but I’m sure you get the point!

Maybe you need to take a trip to a nursing home or amputation ward at a hospital to gain some perspective. Believe me; most of these people would do anything to be in your shoes. So lace them up and get moving!

3. Create as many WHY’s as possible

Keep a piece of paper and pen handy for a couple of days. Jot down EVERY reason you can think of that you want to get healthy/get fit/lose weight through consistent exercise.

The reasons WHY you have, the more motivated you will feel. Your reasons WHY give you the energy and juice that will keep you rockin’! Having a goal without knowing WHY you want to achieve it is like spending $30,000 in university tuition without having a clue of what you want to do with your degree besides pay off your student loans!

So make a long, extensive list. This may not seem important, but it is critical to be able to read this list when your motivation to exercise is waning. It’s a powerful way to quickly get “re-motivated”!

4. Exercise with a friend

Statistics reveal that people who exercise with a friend are more successful at exercising consistently. Basically, it comes down to having accountability. Most of us need something outside of ourselves to keep us going when you don’t feel like working out.

Having an exercise partner enables you to keep each other accountable. Knowing that someone is waiting for you to exercise with them can be great motivation to show up and get it done!

5. Exercise first thing in the morning, every morning.

There is no better feeling than starting your day knowing that you’ve gotten your exercise out of the way. Plus, you’ll feel much happier and better about yourself. Your metabolism will be revved and you will have a much more fruitful day - guaranteed!

Your body was made to be active on a daily basis, and when you are, all sorts of wonderful things happen. You even get healthy and fit!

People who exercise 6 to 7 days per week first thing in the morning are much more successful at exercising consistently than those who do the 2 or 3 day thing. It doesn’t have to be a huge workout everyday. Get out there and take a 30-minute walk, do yoga, take your dog for a stroll, hit the gym, go for a run…just get your body moving in a way that gets your heart rate and muscles working!

Yuri Elkaim is a Certified Kinesiologist, Registered Holistic Nutritionist, former Professional Soccer Player, the Head Strength & Conditioning Coach for the University of Toronto men’s soccer program, and regarded by many as Canada’s leading Fitness expert. His trademarked Fitter U™ program is the world’s only 12-week body shaping fitness program for iPod/MP3 players, guaranteed to help you lose weight, burn fat, and feel great with only 3 workouts per week. Try it today only at http://www.myFitterU.com .

So what exactly are the secrets to lose weight effectively using exercises? Well you are about to discover why some people never lose weight no matter what they do. You see with exercising there are several tricks and techniques you must follow in order to gain maximum results. The reason why some people never lose weight is simply due to the fact that they don’t know what’s needed to be done and what routines they need to follow to get the best results. Read on to discover some of the most stunning secrets you must be aware of in order to lose weight using exercises…

Variety- Yes this is the biggest secret most people tend to overlook. Do you know that your body only shows results with a certain type of an exercise for a while and after that it tends to become some what immune to that certain type of exercise? You see this is where you need variety with your workouts so that your body does not get used to one type of a workout daily. The only way to produce the best results with exercising is to keep changing your routines and see how your body reacts to different routines.

Leave your comfort zone- Another thing you need to be aware of is to leave your comfort zone in order to lose weight. You see some people tend to pick the simplest possible exercises and complain why they aren’t losing weight. You see the very reason why they aren’t losing is because they aren’t working hard enough. In order to get the best results you need to try harder and harder till your body starts showing results. If your body isn’t showing any results whatsoever than you need to change your routine and maybe pick up a high intensity routine.

The Real weight loss secret- Can you imagine yourself losing 9 lbs every 11 days from now? Yes you heard it right “9 lbs every 11days guaranteed”. This is the single most effective way which helps you lose weight. It is truly an absolute breakthrough in the weight loss industry. If you don’t know this than you are missing out on the best ever secret “Guaranteed” to help you lose weight right away. So are you ready to drop some pounds within the next 11 days? Read on to discover this rare secret right now click here- Earth shattering weight loss secret guaranteed to help you lose weight within 11 days

No, actually I haven’t!

Walking backwards or jogging backwards on the treadmill works muscles in an entirely different way than walking forwards. Specifically, by walking backwards on the treadmill (especially on an incline) you engage the quad muscles (front of thigh) and calves to a great extent. Ideally, as with any type of treadmill exercise your goal is walk the hands off of the side rails for best results.

By Walking Backwards on the Treadmill with Hands Off the Rail You…

Engage your postural muscles to much greater degree. They are forced to take serious action. So are your legs, hips and the muscles that control your ankles. That’s why walking backwards at faster speeds, without holding on, will condition your hip, knee, and ankle stabilizers for added benefit to your daily tasks and sporting endeavours. One of these benefits is an improvement in your proprioception or balance.

Start Slow When Walking Backwards on the Treadmill

Anyone with 2 healthy legs-and this includes older people, large people, and people who are new to exercise-can walk backwards without holding on. The key is to work at a pace that is initially comfortable for you to allow you to get used to the novel motion. Don’t be a hero right off the bat. Start slow and build from there.

Variations of Backward Walking

Backwards Walking With Incline: Walking backwards with an incline is something else! When working on the treadmill I add this into all of my warm-ups. Sometimes, I’ll even grab some hand weights and power walk while really focuses on driving and pushing forcefully off each leg.

Try this: set the incline at 15 percent and 2 mph, assuming that you are adjusted to walking backwards level without holding on. You will soon feel a nice burn in your thighs. If you can go faster, do that for an intense thigh burn.

Now, if you can’t last longer than a few minutes, that’s perfectly fine. Do brief intervals at 15 percent/2 to 3 mph, alternating with walking forward with a lower incline (or level) for a few minutes, back and forth, for 30 minutes.Incline low-walk: As you walk, lower your center of gravity so that you’re in a one-quarter squat position. Keep your back straight! Do not pitch forward! This will intensify the fire in your quadriceps muscles.

Backwards Walking Intervals

You needn’t spend a whole lot of time walking backwards to reap benefits. So if you prefer to do a one-minute interval here and there of these creative uses of a treadmill, that will surely contribute to your fitness goals. Even if you’re a runner training for a race give a couple of these “power-building” backwards workouts a try. I guarantee that in just a few minutes your thighs will be burning like never before! Just watch what it will do for you runs.

Yuri

Yuri Elkaim is a Certified Kinesiologist, Registered Holistic Nutritionist, former Professional Soccer Player, the Head Strength & Conditioning Coach for the University of Toronto men’s soccer program, and regarded by many as Canada’s leading Fitness expert. His trademarked Treadmill Trainer™ iPod running programs are guaranteed to help you run faster, farther, and longer with just 2 runs per week. Get yours today at http://www.myTreadmillTrainer.com

Face muscle exercises have become quite popular in recent years for a number of reasons: First, it is now widely believed that the facial muscles should be toned just as muscles of other body parts. Second, many believe that by doing facial toning exercises you can maintain a youthful appearance, delay the aging process from taking its toll on your skin, and may even make a surgical face lift unnecessary.

It is no secret that the face is what makes or breaks the first impression people get from us. Having sagging cheeks, crow’s feet at the corner of your eyes, lines on your forehead, wrinkles, or any other aging facial symptom can make each and everyone of us look much older than we really are.

The most common course of action people take is to have a surgical face lift. Thousands of people have this kind of surgery every year. Many have excellent results. But, a surgical face lift has a few downsides: First, it’s hugely expensive and isn’t covered by medical insurance since it’s considered a cosmetic procedure and not a health related one. Second, this is a surgery and so is risky. If anything should go wrong with the surgery or the long recovery period, your face will suffer from it.

This is where facial exercises can come in handy. If done right, these exercises can help you attain a youthful appearance with firmer, toner face skin. It doesn’t take a long time to do these exercises, and they aren’t difficult to perform. If you spare a few minutes each day to do face muscle exercise, you may even have a sort of natural face lift.

Rachel Nesbit writes extensively on Beauty and health issues. To read her in depth review of way to lose face and cheek fat, click this link: Face Lift Exercises - Your Way To A Natural Face Lift.

Click here to read about specific face muscle exercises.

Face exercises are causing quite a bit of discussion in recent times with differing views as to whether or not they can actually benefit you and the appearance of your face.

First of all, let’s talk a little about what face muscles exercises really are - These are exercises meant to tone, firm and condition your facial muscles so they will look younger, firmer, and will be less inclined to sagging or wrinkling.

If you do these exercises for a length of time with a true determination, you will be able to witness a strengthening and firming of your skin in the areas of the face on which you work. Some people call these exercises Face Lift Exercises because they claim that they can see a real difference within a short time of using these exercises.

However, you can’t expect any miracles from happening since the condition of your skin depends on more than whether or not you do facial exercises. Your diet is important, the rate of your exposure to the sun, and of course your age. It is true that if you do facial toning exercises right and truly make a routine out of it that you’ll be able to postpone the effects of aging on the appearance of your skin. But this doesn’t mean that you will never get old.

The main thing is to remain and look young and youthful for as long as possible. Facial muscle exercises, like other fitness and diet elements, are an important part of this process.

Rachel Nesbit writes extensively on Beauty and health issues. To read her in depth review of way to lose face and cheek fat, click this link: Face Lift Exercises - Your Way To A Natural Face Lift.

Click here to read about specific face muscle exercises.

My name is Andrew, I am generally quite lean and athletic. I drink, eat more or less what I want, my aim is to give advice on getting that body and ‘6-pack’ you have always wanted.

Since I have been training the most talked about feature seems to be my ‘abs’ over any other part of my body. For some reason many people have this fascination of the so called ‘6-pack’. People seem way more impressed than big arms, legs, chest… That is why I am concentrating on this subject.
The number one thing you need before anything is self motivation and patience, you won’t get results over night. I also recommend you take a picture of yourself before you start

1) 1st of all you need to consider you’re budget and think about how much space at home you have or join a gym, I personally gained good abs from just using simple equipment from home

2) Buy an ab-roller, these work great and isolate the ab muscles best, you can pick them up cheap too. There are also many other kinds of new products on the market.

3) Train every day, be patient results come with time, do as much as you can until your muscles are stinging. Try getting to the stage where you can do:

10 x sit-ups with feet on ground,

10 x bringing your knees towards your chest. As seen on the picture above (lower abs)

2X10 sit-ups resting your legs at each side (left and right) so that your ankle bone rests on the floor, this targets the sides of your abs

Do more if you can, if you can’t manage 10, just do 5.

Concentrate on each rep doing it slowly and controlled

When you’ve finished, stretch back your abs, leaning your head back, pushing your stomach out, this is important and releases built up lactic acid, a little tip I found worked well myself.

Don’t give up, carry on, you may not see results for 1-2 months

Once you gain your 6pack it will be easy to maintain.

consider you’re protein intake and research creatine

If your naturally lean it will be an advantage , if your overweight you will have to concentrate on your diet too, consult the fat to muscle guide book as I mentioned earlier, watch your carbs and fat intake

Take up weights too, training with weights is just like training with the ab roller, improves your shape. Many people are under the misconception that running, treadmills, bikes is best for weight loss and shape. If one compares the human body with a pear, the person who trains on treadmills just becomes a smaller pear with no real shape gained as apposed to a weight trainer.

If you are interested in building a great athletic body you need to consult my website on how to get the book that basically taught me everything, from special diets to in depth training techniques whilst living a normal life.

my website:
http://www.squidoo.com/get-a-6pack

I remember reading once that it takes 21 days to form a new habit. This really got me to thinking about habit and lifestyle. It made me realize that so many of the things we do are because we have conditioned ourselves into them by making them habits. This can be good and this can be bad. We all have bad habits like nail biting and we all have good habits like getting regular exercise. But if you really think about it your entire day is filled with habits; you wake up and you brush your teeth, habit. You put your seat belt on, habit. This list could go on and on and would vary for each of us.

The point of all of this talk of habits is that I think it is an important realization when it comes to making healthy changes in our lifestyle. For instance, many people say one of their big culprits is that they eat in front of the television at night for reasons other than hunger. Because this has become a nightly habit it is not enough to simply say that you will stop doing it. Rather it needs to be replaced with a new habit so that your results are long lasting. If watching television is a non-negotiable, than you need to come up with something to do while you are watching television that is not eating. Some ideas are drinking herbal tea, always having water beside you to sip on, chewing gum, maybe taking up some hand craft or my personal favorite do some crunches during the commercial breaks or a crossword or jigsaw puzzle.

I have a friend who liked to relax with a glass of wine every night. When she decided that she wanted to stop doing that she did not just stop that habit, instead she still gets out her wine glass and fills it with a sparkling juice or flavored water. It may sound silly but she realized that it was the routine of having a glass of something that was the real pull, not the wine.

It takes time to form an exercise habit as well. Often people start out strong and quit just as strongly. Here again, tell yourself that you will take three weeks to fit it into your schedule and allow it to become a routine. It can become as normal as anything else you do in a day, a wonderful habit.

Obviously the way we eat is all out of habit and lots of times its left over habit from our childhood. The way we are fed as children has a lot to do with the way we eat as adults unless we do the work to change it. I think that this is pretty overwhelming to many as we like what we like and often don’t leave our ‘circle’ of favorite foods. If you told me when I was younger that I would be eating and loving a diet consisting solely of vegetables, fruits, tofu, tempeh, brown rice and beans and whole grain pasta, bean sprouts, live grain breads, nuts and nut butters, etc. I would have thought you we’re out of your mind! But the reality is that this is now so normal for me that I cannot imagine eating any other way. My old eating habits have been replaced by my new eating habits, thankfully.

So I guess it’s good that we all ponder this subject a little bit. What habits do you need to replace? Give yourself 21 days and make it happen!

Barry Lovelace is creator of Exercise4 Every Body circuit training DVD’s. co-owner of FitQuest Fitness in Allentown, Pa.. a personal trainer, speaker and all around fitness enthusiast. Visit Barry’s website: http://www.fitquestlv.com Email Barry at: barry@barrylovelace.com.

Have you ever wondered how you could get powerful abs like a boxer in the shortest time possible?

Well I can show you a tool that will give you not only punch proof ads but it exercises your back, your abs, and arms all at the same time.

And best of all you can get for almost the price of a movie ticket.

This wonderful tool is called the abdominal wheel.

Once you use it, you will never want to do sit ups again.

I will not tell you that it easy to use because initially it is not. The first time I tried the abdominal wheel my stomach hurt for 3 days. The small and simple contraption worked my core and upper body in way that I had never experienced before, so I was not surprised about the soreness. And for this reason I will say the ab wheel should probably only be used by people that are truly serious about getting a powerful midsection like a boxer.

After using the ab for a wheel for a couple of weeks you can expect not only to have a stronger stomach but you will also have a limber back, and your triceps will be stronger.

And the best part about this tool is that it is so small that you can easily pack it in your gym bag to take to the gym or you can easily pack it in a suitcase for business trips. And did I mention that is was almost the same price as a movie ticket. I just spotted one for $7.87.

If you are serious about getting a strong ripped stomach for the beach this summer then you should get an ab wheel today to use along with your cardio program.

You will not be disappointed.

Tony specializes in using combat conditioning exercises to help you improve your strength, flexibility, and endurance. You can find more tips at http://www.MyrmidonsFitness.com