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More the merrier is an often used expression; but it doesn’t apply in many different cases, needless to say. For instance this is certainly not applicable in terms of calories, because too many calories are bad for your waistline, your health and any number of other reasons.

Does it apply in the case of exercise, though? Is exercise a case of the more the merrier? It is necessary that the more you exercise the more benefits you reap, or is there an optimum range of exercising?

According to one school of thought; there is no such thing as too much exercise. For instance according to Dr Paul Williams, researcher and marathon runner, the more you exercise the more you benefit.

According to his own experience and his research conducted on runners, Dr Williams is of the view that raising one’s level of exercising can result in significant benefit.

According to him, the recommendation of half an hour of exercise a day (or three and a half hours a week) by the American Heart Association as well as the federal government is inadequate, and far better benefits can accrue if one trains harder.

However there are several drawbacks to overtraining or exercising too much as well:

• Injury is a major drawback to watch out for that can result from over training and can be actually be counterproductive in that it may both prevent and discourage the person from exercising.
• Over training is something that can cause other problems as well. You can tell that you are overtraining if you experience symptoms such as aches and pains in muscles and joints, insomnia, fatigue, headaches, sudden inability to complete a workout or an elevated morning pulse. If there is a lack of motivation and energy, loss of appetite and a decreased performance then these could also be warning signs that you are doing too much.
• One may become more susceptible to illnesses and infections such as colds, sore throats etc., because over training may cause the immune system to be negatively impacted.
• Your muscles may not get a chance to recover and rejuvenate sufficiently between workout sessions.
• Also overtraining could cause boredom to set in, which will end up derailing your fitness process.

There should be an optimum level of exercising for each individual, beyond which exercising and training could go to the next level of obsession and a person may develop an exercise disorder.

If a person finds that their training and exercising is actually interfering in a person’s life then there is reason indeed to take a look at the amount one is exercising.

If only there was a simple answer to that question, we would all be perfectly fit, but the fact is that it isn’t just carbs that make you fat, and it isn’t just fats that make you fat.

Rather it is the quality of carbs and fats, and the amount of carbs and fats that you consume which will determine how you put on or lose weight.

The body needs fats to function, but it is the good quality fats that you should be consuming which are rich in nutrients.

The fats to be avoided are the saturated fats and the hydrogenated or trans fats. It is these that will pack on the pound and have no nutritional benefit.

Like bad fats, there are bad carbs. The refined or simple carbs are the ones not good for you.

Complex carbs that take time to get absorbed are more beneficial. The Glycemic index of the carbs that you consume will also determine how good they are for you.

And finally it is the amount that you eat. Even if it is best quality of fats that you eat, it is most certainly not good for you to eat a pound of walnuts, even if they contain the best kind of fat. Even if it is bananas that you eat you are not going to lose weight if you eat a dozen of them!

When we talk about workouts, we often associate them with men and rigorous exercises.

What we don’t know is that there is actually a women’s workout too. Women are more self-conscious than men when it comes to their outside appearance.

They are always expected to have an attractive figure and they do everything they can in their power just to look good. Women’s workout guarantees all females out there of reaching their dreams of having a fit and beautiful body.

Women’s workout involves exercises and trainings designed especially for women. The female anatomy is different from men so they can’t just simply follow the opposite sex’s workout regimen.

The best thing about women’s workout is that it addresses the needs of women and targets specific areas like the tummy, arms, and legs.

Doing the same exercises over and over again can be boring plus it will not give you favorable results. Women’s workout is composed of different exercises which guarantee to help you lose weight and achieve that figure you are dreaming of.

In order for your women’s workout to be effective, you might consider the following tips:

Try different exercises

Just because you are used to walking and jogging regularly doesn’t mean you have to stick to these exercises. It is true that they are good for the heart but women’s workout must include other exercises like circuit training and even weight lifting.

Use different equipment

Women’s workout also requires the use of some exercise equipment. You may use an exercise ball, dumbbells, resistance bands, and ropes.

Using rowing machines, exercise bikes, and step machines are also helpful. Having your own exercise equipment at home also frees you from the hassles of going to the gym every day.

Change the order of your exercises

Doing routine exercises can be boring. Once you always perform the same order of exercises, your body adjusts to it and will no longer find it challenging. Try changing the order every now and then or add one or two new exercises in your routine.

Change the intensity of your women’s workout

Your workout must be progressive not stagnant. Intensify it by increasing the number of reps you perform in lifting weights. You can also add in a few more exercises to your regular workout or alter the speed of your overall training.

Change the frequency of your women’s workout

If you are used to exercising twice a week it is time you do it more frequently. You may consider exercising at least three to four times a week. This way, you can lose more weight in just a short period of time.

Perform women’s workout with a partner or group of friends

You can make your women’s workout more fun and enjoyable by doing it with someone. Invite your best friend to join you. Time flies fast and you will not mind performing those exercises if you have someone with you. It is also advantageous since you can perform assisted training.

Some people swear by Pilates as a fitness regime that works best for them; yet others say they don’t have time for Pilates, that it did not have the kind of benefits that they would have liked.

It is also known as Contrology, and was originally developed for war veterans based on aerobics and yoga postures of Surya Namaskaras.

Some find Pilates excellent for good health and wellbeing, but not for weight loss, so what are the Pros and Cons of Pilates? Some of the Pros of Pilates are:

• Pilates is very good for strengthening the body, particularly the core muscles of the body. It improves strength and overall fitness.
• It helps tone muscles and may aid inch loss consequently.
• Pilates also improves the balance of the body and its flexibility.
• It is suitable for beginners as well; and many beginners find that it is easier and require less flexibility than yoga.
• It improves posture and prevents slouching to that you may find an inch or two added to your height. It also adds to grace of general movement.
• It improves body awareness and range of motion, which many athletes find useful.
• Pilates can be very useful for injury rehab, when customized to meet individual requirements. people with joint trouble can also do Pliates.
• It is low impact and does not ask for very brisk movement and gives you a good work out without having to work up too much of a lather and sweat.

The Cons of Pilates are:

• For weight loss, Pilates is not as efficient as more strenuous exercise such as running or swimming.
• Pilates is anaerobic exercise so you will not burn as many calories as with other exercises in the same time. However Pilates may help you burn calories in another way: it can help to build muscle which is more efficient at burning calories even when the body is at rest.
• The exercises have to be performed very precisely in order to get the best benefits. They also require a high degree of concentration which may not be possible every time.
• If Pilates is being used for injury rehab, it has to be customized for the person, they may not get much benefit from a general class.
• Pilates often does not offer the returns that one may expect, making them feel frustrated with a perceived lack of progress.

This one is for all of us who use the office and long hours as an excuse not to work out or go to the gym or get exercise: it is possible to use these office fitness tips to get a better body without leaving your desk.

• Do stretching exercises at different times throughout the day. This helps relieve muscle tension, improves blood circulation and helps to reduce stress and tiredness. It can also keep you more alert and make you feel better.
• Wear comfortable shoes so walking in office will be easier. Also make sure that your chair is comfortable and supportive.
• Walk to work and back if possible, and if using public transport, get off at a stop earlier so you have to walk to work.
• Take the stairs rather than the elevator.
• Walk while you take or make a call (pace as much as your office area will allow).
• Don’t email or message a colleague. Walk over and speak to them personally instead.
• Drink plenty of water.
• Have a healthy lunch and for when you feel like snacking, make sure only healthy items are within reach.

We have all witnessed how a friend or a mate in the gym or a fitness class seems to effortlessly be able to touch their entire palms to the ground while keeping their legs straight, whereas you seem to have trouble even getting your finger tips to touch the ground!

These people seem to be able to contort their body into the sort of twists and loops that seem impossible for many of us.

So is it effort or genetics that are responsible for flexibility (or lack thereof)? According to Dr. Paul Weitzel, a sports medicine orthopedic surgeon at New England Baptist Hospital, there is a genetic component, a physical limit within which one can improve one’s range of flexibility.

While we may have certain physical limitations as to what we can make our body do, we can make gains and improvements up to 25% according to the doctor.

So while not all of us can transform ourselves into champion athletes, we can take steps to improve our personal performances, pace and physical abilities.

The trick is to be slow and steady and above all consistent when you are trying to improve flexibility. Regular stretching several times a week over extended periods, bouncing to improve balance, and stretching both sides of the body equally is what will help make the maximum gains.

Celebrities are known for their trials, ups and downs and anxious quest for the ideal shape and figure the general public looks up to them for. They live active lives, many times ruled by rough diets or sugar rushes, they are human hence they are under the same weight laws like the rest of us.

They are many times cited by the socialite magazines about their fitness routine and they are pretty much eager to recommend it, praising the effect and most of the times praising the trainer.

This is how the celebrity fitness trainers and the routines they create are equally famous to the celebrities that are using them. Could this be a celebrity transfer or simply the proof that something people try and stick by generates results whether those people are celebrities or regular, every day folk?

1. Gunnar Core Secret Strength Building Programs

Angelina Jolie, Jennifer Lopez, Matthew McConaughey, Penelope Cruz and Brooke Burke are fond of strength building programs.

With a famous trainer like Gunnar Peterson they are taught to synchronize their muscle building with the right diet so the amount of effort will not brake down their muscles and the result will be a harmoniously fit body. The Core Secret Kit by Gunnar Peterson is for sure an effective way to go.

2. Cardio Routines

Jennifer Garner, Christina Aguilera and Rihanna are popular celebrities known for their amazing figure and wonderful body shape.

The secret behind their perfectly fit bodies is the cardio style workout program, known and advertised as one of the most effective fat burners in the fitness world. Two of the most popular cardio routines are the Cardio Ballroom or Tracy Anderson Method.

3. Jillian Michael’s Aerobics

Nicole Kidman, Amanda Peet, Tara Reid and Vanessa Marcil are all trained by Jillian Michaels. Her aerobic DVDs are bestseller especially since the program offers the chance to increase the body fat burn and obtain a realistic weight loss faster than a regular gym workout.

The fact she is a representative of a Real-Life Healthy Life campaign makes Jillian a known figure in the fitness world.

4. Yoga Workouts

Gwyneth Paltrow, Madonna, Ricky Martin and Meg Ryan are known yoga fans. They all assured the public that yoga is much more than any fitness routine and this type of body maintenance workout can change somebody’s life.

We should agree with them because they seem to be extremely well looking in spite of factors like child birth or age. Yoga is advertised by the celebrities a powerful aid to diet plans and also a routine you will want to stand by for the rest of your life. There are yoga gyms and yoga DVDs that can help you know all about the routine.

5. Aerobic Biking

Aerobic biking is another celebrity way to lose weight and stay fit. Jake Gyllenhaal, Kristen Davis, Jared Leto and Miley Cyrus are all fans of this type of workout.

Whether we are talking about the gym bikes, workout bikes or mountain bikes, the routine is something known to burn out calories and get the body into shape. You can choose from an amazing variety of workout bikes and you have available instructional videos to do the routine properly.

6. Boxing Workout

Boxing workout is another smart way to get fit and get more energy. We should add that it might aid some psychological issues too especially because it will get you to be more confident in your abilities. Stars like Gwen Stefani, LL Cool J or Nick Carter are not strangers to the routine.

No wonder that they look extremely fit and also wear the star like attitude with pride. The boxing workout plan is not hard to follow and it can get you into shape provided you stick by it.

7. Budokon Workout

Budokon is a fitness workout imported from Japan and currently considered as one of the most complex fitness programs on the market. Designed to make the body achieve the perfect balance, softer than martial arts but more active than yoga this is the perfect way to go if you need to focus on both your body and mind and live a balanced and healthy life.

Stars like Jennifer Aniston and Courtney Cox are big fans of Budokon and that pretty much shows on their bodies. The Budokon routine is available on instructional DVDs and there are gyms all over the world teaching the program.

8. Calisthenics

Calisthenics workout came along out of the need of not depending on fitness gear and also the availability of doing your fitness anywhere. This is the reason why stars like Gerard Butler, 50 cents and Alessandra Ambrosio are some of the calisthenics fans in the celebrity world.

Being a complete workout plan, calisthenics is also effective. It offers you the possibility of increasing your endurance and getting fit outdoors without getting cooked up in a gym.

9. Carmen Electra Aerobic Striptease

Carmen Electra, the Pussycat dolls and Terri Hatcher are practicing striptease aerobic.

Said to be some kind of excuse for working out the routine proved otherwise because of the many female fans that joined it. The most famous DVD is the one of Carmen Electra.

10. Kickboxing

Kickboxing is for sure one of the most loved routines. Stars like Anne Hathaway, Kate Hudson and Kelly Hu are no strangers from it.

Kickboxing is the type of cardio workout that works on all the muscle groups. Translated into the routine called Tae Bo it has conquered the world through Billy Blanks routine.

11. Dancing Workouts

Dancing workouts are something very popular among stars. Whether it is Zumba, belly dancing or professional dancing, the celebrities are loving it. Shakira, Britney Spears and Justin Timberlake are known fans of the dancing routine.

The program can be learned using instructional DVDs like Salsa workout or Zumba Cardio party.

12. Pilates

The last but not the least in the star favorite workouts is Pilates. Developed to be focused on flexibility and fitness maintenance it has become a true complex routine able to put anybody into shape. It works the problematic areas but also helps the spine flexibility. Known Pilates practitioners are Sandra Bullock, Kim Cantral and Blake Lively.

The routine is said to be very effective and it seems it will stay on trend for a long time. The Pilates DVDs are bestsellers on international level.

We often think of losing the weight in the interests of our heart, the brain, and several other organs of the body.

We rarely however give any thought to our poor feet; the ones that carry around all the (often excess) baggage all day long!

The foot, says an expert, is tremendously well developed for its job but not when it comes to carrying around all the extra pounds that so many Americans carry, and then the feet have to bear the brunt of the extra pounds. The list of problems that even some extra weight can cause, are many:

• Flat feet or flattened food arches can develop in childhood, particularly among obese children. This can be painful and result in misalignment of the ankles and legs.
• Inflamed tendons is something that overweight women are even more at risk from.
• Sore heels and the pain that comes with that happens more often to those that are required to be on their feet for considerable periods of time.
• Arthritis of the foot and ankle can be exacerbated by a person carrying extra weight.

Much research has been done on the point of how the work place affects our fitness and obesity levels; how sedentary jobs promote unhealthy lifestyles and quick fix meal options while at work make us pile on the pounds.

We have spoken before about the ways in which we can each of us make the effort to stay healthy at the workplace. Let us also examine how work related stress contributes to making one unhealthy and unfit:

It is more than just the fact that you sit before a computer all day and perhaps eat a lot of unhealthy and fat laden food that makes one likely to become over weight.

It is also the stress, anxiety and worry that are associated with the work place that can cause a person to gain weight.

There are several ways in which stress in the work place is a contributor to making you fat:

Sleep

If you are stressed at work, it is likely that you are stressing about work at home and are having difficulty falling asleep or getting good quality restful sleep.

Also if there is a lot of stress at work, it is likely that you are using caffeine to prop you up during the day and are drinking too much coffee. If so, that will be another contributing factor to getting inadequate sleep; which can impact so many different areas of your life negatively.

Stress and TV viewing

If you are stressed at work, it is very likely that you will come back home and want to unwind by just planting yourself in front of the TV.

You probably have neither an inclination nor the energy to get active and hit the gym or enjoy a brisk walk out doors. So if you are stressed and consequently you are watching too much TV, you are obviously less fit and less healthy.

The hormone cortisol

Stress and stressful situations are not bad per se; small amounts of stress can spur you to do better work and increase productivity. However chronic, recurring stress is bad because it increases production of the hormone cortisol in the body that triggers the fight or flight response in the body.

Cortisol is known to slow down the metabolism and make the body hold on to fat reserves; in particular abdominal fat which is the worst kind of fat. Stressful situations also make you crave food (comfort eating) and can alter blood sugar levels.

It’s the horse that does all the working out when you go horseback riding one may well say. What’s the great big work out in sitting on running animal, one may well contend.

But in fact horse riding is an excellent workout; notice how horse and rider come away lathered in sweat after a good gallop!

Riding is actually an aerobic exercise for the rider, which helps to enhance respiratory and cardiovascular fitness. Different muscles are exercised during horse riding:

• When the horse is walking, the leg muscles are contracting and relaxing to move in tandem with the horse.
• During a trot, the rider has to make the effort to rise and fall in time with the horse’s gait.
• When cantering, you are not using your legs to rise and fall in the saddle but you are using a number of muscle groups to grip the horse and stay on the horse.
• You can burn between 3 and nine calories per minute of horse riding.
• Whether it is a trot or a gallop that the horse is at, the rider constantly has to engage his muscles to balance on top of the horse; this improves core fitness and posture.