Age-Appropriate Goals Are A Big Part Of Effective Exercise Routines

When planning exercise routines, age plays a big role in effectively designing workouts. What many don't realize though is that age doesn't affect the actual exercises to be included as much as it does the goals that should be set. While age will affect the poundage used or distances covered, of and by itself age does not include or preclude specific exercises.

What does change with age is the reasons why people are working out, and what they should expect from their continuing fitness efforts. Exercise routines for pre-teens and early teen years should be aimed at general fitness and some muscle mass gains, with less emphasis on strength training. At that tender an age the bones are still growing, so best not to make the muscles sufficiently strong to possibly inhibit that growth.

By their mid-teens and throughout their twenties, people have the optimum physiology for strength gains and building lean muscle mass. Their body's ability to produce testosterone and human growth hormone will never be greater, and those are two of the most powerful muscle-building hormones available. During these years bodies recover faster from workouts too, allowing the athletes to train that much more intensely and more frequently. That being said, it's important to counter their ego to stop them from going overboard - they need to focus on learning proper exercise form to prevent injuries that can plague them for life or injuries they might never recover from.

For those exercising in their 30's, 40's and beyond, the first issue is whether they're still exercising and have been all along, are in reasonably good shape and looking to better it or are simply out of shape and looking to get back some of the fitness they've foregone over the years. While the top bodybuilders in the world currently are in their late 30's and early forties, it's important to realize that they have, for the most part, been building their bodies non-stop since their teenage years with few or no breaks along the way. Already gifted with amazing genetics, the Phil Heaths and Jay Cutlers of bodybuilding fame are extreme cases and the bulk of the population can never, and could never have, achieved their level of lean muscle mass.

By your thirties your body has started slowing down its production and release of the hormones you want, meaning you'll need longer to recover from intense workouts and may need to try different exercise routines than those you may have used when you were younger, varying the sets, reps and weights being performed at each workout. Proper nutrition and rest become more important as you age as well, so these too need to be factored into your exercise programs. Obesity and Type 2 diabetes have both become plagues in today's society and if either affliction has caught you in its net then you'll need to watch your nutrition even more closely.

As you get into your 50's, 60's and the so-called 'golden years' there's both good news and bad news... The good news is that your body will, in the absence of most serious conditions, respond much the same way to a proper exercise routine as it did when you were much younger. Your workouts will break down the muscles causing 'micro tears' in the cells and their attached stem cells will repair the damage making them stronger and eventually larger, and your energy levels should begin to rise again. The bad news is that these changes will happen much more slowly and you'll need longer to work your way up to the level of exercise you may think you're already capable of performing. Use the wisdom and patience of age to set reasonable age-related timeframes when planning your exercise routines.

There are even very good reasons for people in their 70's, 80's and 90's to exercise with weights - progressive-resistance exercise can increase bone density, while increased flexibility and strength can go a long way towards avoiding falls and injuries and help you recover faster and more fully when they do occur. And at any age being more fit can aid your digestion and other internal bodily functions. Yes, you'll have to start off with very light weights and be very gradual in working your way to heavier poundage, but most people will find the extra energy, strength and better health will make their life much more enjoyable.

One thing is constant when creating exercise routines for people of any age - never even design the workout for yourself or a client without the person having a full medical checkup with a doctor. Many of the underlying causes of heart attacks and strokes have no outward signs, and any form of exercise routine can exacerbate those conditions and hasten injury, disability or even death if allowances aren't made when designing their workouts. Don't take anything for granted - insist on the checkup first before designing exercise routines for people of ANY age.

Keeping the above in mind, from pre-teens to centurial athletes, everyone deserves to live the best, healthiest and happiest life they can - aid them by creating age-appropriate exercise routines designed to further those lofty goals!

D. Champigny is a certified personal trainer and publisher of the Flirting With Fitness website and online magazine. You can get more health, fitness, exercise and nutrition tips from him on his Flirting With Fitness website and by following FlirtingWithFitness.com on Twitter.

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Simple Workout Routines That Can Help You Lose Weight

ByTeka Mullwani

One of the important issues about healthy living is watching one's weight. There are many people who think that they are overweight and would like to lose weight. The problem is that many of them are looking for a quick way to lose way. In fact, doctors rarely recommend use of medication to lose weight. Professional doctors will recommend a schedule of exercises and foods to be eaten so that someone can lose weight. In this article, we will look at some of the workout routines that people can engage in if they want to lose those few extra pounds. The workout routines below are not only for people who want to lose weight but also for people who want to keep fit.

Rope Skipping/Jump Roping - One of the ways to trigger your body to sweat is by jumping. By thrusting yourself up and down, you get to use the energy which comes from the excess fats that have accumulated in your body. In the process, you also get to burn quite a number of calories. It is better to use a skipping-rope for your jumping exercise as it attains better results than just normal jumping. This workout engages various body parts such as arms, legs, waist and hips.

Aerobics Sessions - This is one of the ways that women like to lose weight. The aerobic activities are usually very engaging and work out the whole body. One wonderful thing about aerobic sessions is the music playing in the background as you do your workouts. The reason why music is played is to keep you motivated and to add your zeal to keep on working out. You can attend aerobics sessions or you can purchase a DVD with recorded aerobic sessions on it.

Swimming sessions - Swimming is not only a sport but also a great way to lose weight. When swimming, the body parts that are being worked on are the hips, the arms, the legs and the head. Swimming is actually a full body workout.

Dancing - Another way to lose weight is by dancing. You can use whatever kind of music, from Latin to hip-hop music. As stated earlier, music as a way of motivating movement of body parts. Lots of fats are burnt when you dance.

The above routines can be very effective with a change in diet. You will have to eat more proteins and vitamins. Carbohydrates and fats should be eaten in regulated amounts.

You can also get Workout Routines for Women.

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Preparing Exercise Routines For Weight Loss Must Include Self Motivation

ByAmanda A. Smith

Before you start thinking of the best exercise routines for weight loss, you must first understand the importance of motivating yourself to render such activities. Involving yourself in any kind of strenuous activities such as this can be the most challenging tasks that you need to take on order to slim down and boost your body's metabolism in order to burn fats faster.

Your goal in losing the extra fat will always involve a set of daily sweat boosting activities that you should do regularly. Therefore, knowing how to motivate yourself to carrying out some exercise routines for weight loss is necessary if you want to achieve positive results in no time.

The first thing that you have to do in order to get motivated to exercise is to think that you have to do it. You must set your mind to it so that your body will follow. You have to make yourself believe that doing this is important not only when it comes to your looks, but to your health as well.

Here are some reasons why you need to consider such sweat boosting activities to promote fat reduction and health improvement:

You will be able to increase your body's metabolism and pump up your body's energy to continue doing the exercise routines for weight loss.

It will keep your bones strong and healthy.

It will make your muscles flexible enough, to avoid the risk of further injuries when exercising.

Exercising will avoid the risk of health issues pertaining to heart ailments and other cardiovascular diseases. Moreover, it can also prevent other types of diseases such as diabetes 2 and other life threatening diseases, such as cancer. At the same time that you are aiming to reduce your body weight.

The best way to be motivated to exercise is to always be mindful of your set goals. You might want to set what is realistically achievable so that you will not lose your motivation as you are going through the process. Some say that, in order to get motivated to workout, you need to stop thinking of it as an activity that will require too much effort from you. Instead, the best way on how to get motivated to workout is to think of it as a fun and enjoyable activity that you can spend with your family and friends.

Once you already understand the art of motivating yourself in performing exercise routines for weight loss, you can start exploring the different workout activities that can promote fat burning and body trimming, which you can easily combine with any diet plans you are currently following.

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Easy Twenty Minute Exercise Routines

ByBob S Heiny

You don't need to go to a gym to exercise when you don't have the time. There are many exercises that can be done at home, in a hotel, on your break at work, or just about anywhere.

1. Weight training. When you are working the upper body, you need light weights, one to five pounds. The first exercise to do is the bicep curl. The bicep is the double muscle in the front of the upper arm and works to bend the arm forward at the elbow. Front and side dumbbell raises work two of the three parts of the deltoid muscle, of which there are three heads, the front, medial and the rear, comprising the shoulders. Bent dumbbell flys work the rear deltoid. The triceps is the triple muscle on the back of the upper arm and helps you lift the arm straight behind you. To work the chest, butterflies performed with the dumbbells exercise the major and minor portion. Three sets of eight repetitions including two exercises per body part will exercise the total upper body and can be done in twenty minutes.

The same principles can be used for the lower body using heavier weights. The quadriceps muscle on the front thigh has four parts that move while walking. Squats and lunges exercise these muscles. For the hamstrings, the back of the legs, use rear leg curls to isolate for a muscular looking leg. Sitting or standing calf raises shapes the muscle known as the gastrocnemius. Get on the floor to do leg curls holding the weight in the bend of the leg to exercise the gluteus (rear end). Three sets of ten reps per exercise per body part can be done in just twenty minutes.

Both of these weight training sets of exercises can be done almost anywhere as long as you have your weights, working both the upper body and the lower.

2. Outdoor activities. Just stay in your own neighborhood for a nice walk for just twenty minutes. Start slowly to warm up and then move out. Walking works all the muscles of the body and you get great exercise. Try to avoid uneven terrain as you could cause injuries to your ankles or your knees.

3. Dance. Got a CD player? That's all you need to work the entire body and especially the abdomen. Some of the dances take a strong core just to do them and what great exercise to keep you energized, have fun and get motivated. Create your own CD of favorites and vary the beats for a great twenty minute workout you can do anywhere, have fun, and burn calories.

Even if you can only afford twenty minutes a day there are health benefits from any kind of exercise. Try them and pick the one or two you like and then it will be easier to stick to it. If you don't like these, find some you do like so you can get in gear and go!

Would you like to get rid of pain and be healthier YOU? Check here to find out how: Secrets to Ideal Fitness, and many more tips.

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