3 Reasons You Should Start Running

There are so many reasons to start running that you can't even imagine them all, in fact a philosopher and runner named George Sheehan said, "There are as many reasons for running as there are days in the year." If you are still contemplating if you should run, check out these reasons as to why you should and by the end of this list you are going to be at the store buying your first real of running shoes.

Health and Weight Loss

Okay, so this is the one reason to start running that may be very obvious, but it is a still a great one. Running may be hard at first but when you start to see results in your body and your numbers, you are going to wish you had started sooner. If this is your motivation for starting, you can also use it as your motivation to keep going by throwing up a before picture on the fridge. There you will see it every day to remind you to run and when you want food to remind you to not throw away results for nothing!

Stress Relief

Let's face it, you are probably facing a lot of stress in your life, whether it be from your job, your family, or whatever, but if you start running you could actually find yourself feeling much better. Studies have shown time and time again that when you exercise you can actual reduce the amount of stress that you are experiencing. Lowering your stress can results in more efficiency at work and being able to get more done at home, running can literally help make you a more efficient person.

Meet People

While you may not go out and find a running group as soon as you start running, you may find after a short while that you want people to run with. A running group will allow you to meet new people, some people meet their future spouse just by getting out and running, even if that isn't why you run you can still make some new lifelong friends while getting healthier and feeling even better about your yourself.

Running is one of the easiest things that you can do, all that you need to start running is a good running plan or running guide and a nice pair of shoes and you can be out the door and living a better life starting today.

90% of People will finish reading this and do NOTHING with the information they gain! If you are not one of them take advantage of my favorite running guide complete with plans, progress logs, and running tips by CLICKING HERE.

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Core Strength - 3 Huge Reasons to Focus On Core Strength Starting Today

ByAndrew R Reichelderfer

Many people hear the words core strength, and they simply have no idea what that means.

What is core strength, and furthermore how will it help you to strengthen your core muscles, and what muscles are your core muscles anyway?

These are all very common questions so don't feel bad. By the end of this article you'll have the answer to all of those questions, and then some...

What does core strength mean? I didn't even know I had a core!

Alright so when you hear people say that you should focus on core strength, what they're talking about is strengthening those muscles that make up the core of your body.

Basically, if you took your body and chopped off your legs under the pelvis, and your arms at the shoulders, that would be your core (minus your head, but let's not go chopping that off just yet...you'll need your eyes to finish this article).

The muscles that are left are the pelvic muscles, your abdominal muscles, your oblique muscles (the muscles that cover your ribs), and your glutes (your butt). There are other more interior muscles that make up the core muscle group as well, but let's keep this simple...and keep you awake.

In essence, these are the major muscles that make up the foundation of your body which protects your ever-so-important spinal cord and your vital organs.

So, with all that being said, let's get to the point of why core strength is extremely important.

3 Extremely Important Reasons to Focus on Core Strength...(and 1 maybe not so important...)

1) It's What Makes You Look Ripped (Yes, we start with the not-so-important pure vanity reason)- When you start building your core muscles, you start to build and bring out those muscles that well...let's say that the opposite sex seems to notice.

You know... the six-pack abs type of look? Well that's what happens when you put the spotlight on your core muscles. You get that sexy body and slender looks that the boys and girls just seem to love.

I brought this up first because let's face it...we all want to look better and more sexy. So now that we got that out of the way...

2) You'll Become a Better Athlete or At Least More Athletic - Whether it's running, boxing, football, basketball, or whatever sport you fancy...the athlete with a strong core will always be the better athlete.

Your core strength is what determines your speed, your agility, and your power. These three things are almost always what will determine whether you're a winner or loser in the world of sports.

3) No More Back Pain - For many this is a huge one. In fact according to experts, 80% - or 4 out of 5 people - will suffer some sort of back pain in their lifetime. It's also the second biggest reason that people visit the health clinic, only behind the common cold.

At any given time in the United States alone, 31 million people are suffering from some sort of back pain. That's pretty startling wouldn't you say?

If you already suffer from back pain, then it's probably not startling at all for you. In fact you might even feel a little better, just knowing that you're not alone.

But what's now unique to you, is that you now know that the way to both stop your back from hurting now, and keeping back pain from plaguing you over and over is to build core strength.

What this does essentially is to protect all of those smaller muscles in your back from getting too overly taxed and strained. This is most often what causes back pain, along with pinched nerves. But again, a strong core will keep these problems at bay, because you're now using the more major muscles in your body to do all of the heavy lifting, and not over burdening the minor ones that aren't meant for that.

So there you go, if you've ever needed a reason to increase core strength, you've now got three, with the last one being a huge one for 4 out of 5 people in the USA alone.

Now the issue is how to build core strength... and get all of the benefits of looking good, being a better athlete, and getting rid of back pain fast and forever. Click the link at the bottom to find out more!

Click here to find out more about your core and other muscles in your body! http://www.musclesandexercise.com

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Body-Weight Workout Routines: 7 Good Reasons They're Superior To Lifting Weights

I'm not against lifting weights. I did so for years and got some decent results. Yet there are definitely what I consider to be a few 'negatives' to weight lifting that are NOT associated with simple, super-efficient, body-weight exercise routines; 'negatives' such as...

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5 Reasons Why Everyone Should Run

ByM A Rawson

Providing you are free from an injury or medical condition that would prevent you from running, then running is probably one of the best exercise disciplines. After all, most sports professionals advocate running as a primary cardiovascular part of their fitness routine.

The cost of exercising is also very minimal. In fact the only advisable expenditure necessary are a decent pair of running shoes.

For most people and their hectic lifestyles, brings with it a need to seek healthy ways to eat correctly and exercise sufficiently. People are allowing themselves less time to look after themselves as they indulge in working too hard and long without sufficient sleep, or in fact, time to do much else. This generally means that proper meals are neglected for fast foods, and with little recreational time, a good exercise routine is neglected.

Running is not 'the be all and end all exercise', however combined with say weight training, it can provide a great component for an excellent training program.

From a fitness point of view:

Your body will benefit greatly from regular cardiovascular exercise. In order to strengthen the functioning of your heart and lungs, you need to exercise to an extent whereby the heart and lungs are working faster than the normal rest state. Obviously you should never throw yourself into an exercise routine without first consulting your doctor who will advise you on your suitability for such exercise. However once you have established suitability, then it is simply a question of making a start and building yourself up with a suitable realistic routine.

Losing weight:

With a regular exercise routine and the combination of a balanced diet, it is inevitable that you will lose weight. The simple rules are, if the food/calorie intake is less than the energy/calories burned, you will lose weight. Any form of exercise, even walking to work etc is better than no exercise, however, the discipline of running means that more calories will be burned as a result.

Running as a hobby:

Probably one of the greatest problems faced with any kind of exercise is commitment and motivation. Joining a club, or running for a charity can provide an excellent focus and reason to get up and go jogging. As an additional benefit there comes a camaraderie that can be a great help when you simply don't feel like it. Not to mention the social outlet afforded, and perhaps a well earned trip to the pub afterwards.

De-stressing:

The unfortunate modern stresses that face most people seem to be an inevitable part of our day to day lives. Running offers an excellent antidote to the problem. When faced with problems in our lives, running also allows us an excellent opportunity to take time out and think problems through.

Running is fun:

As previously mentioned, joining a group of like minded people, or even work colleagues, can offer a chance to catch up and perhaps share a laugh and a joke. However, if you find yourself alone whilst exercising, you don't have to pick the same boring route every time. If you run in the city during your lunch hour, a different route can provide the opportunity to discover new sites. Maybe there are places you could drive to, perhaps country locations, and take in picturesque surroundings as you run.

Hopefully the preceding has given you a few ideas to get started. Do some further research and pick a routine, simply starting at a level that you feel comfortable with. Certainly don't try to overdo to start with otherwise you will give up. Unfortunately this short guide cannot provide everything you need to start a routine. You have to follow a plan that involves warming up and down as well as correct stretching. Finally, make sure you take it easy at first and remember, you are doing the best that you can do right now and then work up, as your fitness levels increase. Many people start off walking for a few weeks only, then gradually incorporate walking and running, until you can run comfortably without having to stop and walk.

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The Many Reasons To Take Up Running

Running is quite possibly the oldest form of exercise known to man. Whenever you ask anyone on the best way to get in shape, they'll invariably mention running as their technique of choice. And why shouldn't they? Anyone with a pair of legs can run. You don't even need shoes. Right now, you could get outside and start running. It's convenient, it's easy and almost everyone can do it. So maybe you've thought about taking up running for a while but you are not quite sure if it's 'worth' your time. Well, this write-up will give you more reasons to take up running.

1. Cardio & Aerobic conditioning - People talk about this organ called the heart. They always speak of how you need to be good to it and constantly exercise it if you are to live longer. While there is a correlation to that, the real benefit you get from running is aerobic and cardiovascular conditioning. This is whereby you feel light and agile. You also feel like your lungs are clear and you feel comfortable running. Everything physical feels easy and you have a certain agility and grace. Your joints no longer ache when you run and you just 'feel' awesome. You have lots of energy and your mood is always on a high. That's the beauty of fitness. It's a feeling of being 'healthy'.

2. Calorie burning/ fat loss - For those looking to slim down, running is a great way to burn the calories. Now bear in mind folks, a session of running for half an hour will only burn a few hundred calories and not much more. To slim down, you have to cut the calories you take in by controlling your diet and then you proceed to create a deficit of calories by burning a few hundred more so that your body turns to the fat reserves stored in your body to keep everything fuelled up. Running without changing your diet will condition you and make you feel fit but your body won't change all that much.

3. Self esteem - I don't know about you but when I stumble into my house, drenched in sweat, feeling as if I could collapse and die at any moment; a feeling of ecstasy completely takes over. And even though I'm in a great deal of discomfort (hot, sweaty and achy), I feel great. That's due to endorphins which 'reward' you after you do something you consider worthwhile. The feeling pervades well into the next day and sometimes lasts a week. Exercise has been shown to lower the levels of depression and generally make people happier. Try it!

4. Muscle tone - Finally, the muscle tone that running gives is spectacular. It's primarily in the legs that you get those lovely quad separations and shapely calves. Not only do your legs become toned, they also become stronger and develop a lot more endurance in the process. It sounds like a win/win situation to me!

Not only is running one of the best inner though workouts around, it's also a great way for improving problem areas that we all struggle with. For more information on fitness and exercise, check out our website on fitness.

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