In this day and age people don’t always have the time the would like to have. When we work eight hours a day, have families to take care of and responsibilities that needs our undivided attention, it’s not always that very easy to find time to exercise.

It is with this in mind that it may be a wise choice to choose workouts that are as efficient as possible.

Ball sports

When playing ball sports we practically use most muscles i our body. This makes ball sports a more diverse way to exercise than running or walking. By playing sports we also tend to get caught up in the competition and thereby forget time and exhaustion for a moment.

This is how many calories ball sports burn in average:

• Squash: 600 kcal/hour
• Soccer: 560 kcal/hour
• Basketball and tennis: 400 kcal/hour

Walking, running and cycling

If you want to lose weight, run. If you want to lose fat, walk fast. By running we get more exercise and gain more endurance, but may lose muscle mass (and thereby weight) in the process. If you want to lose a lot of weight without losing muscle, then concider interval running.

This is how many calories walking, running and cycling burn in average:

• Cycling: 400 kcal/hour
• Power-walking: 500 kcal/hour
• Running (10 km/hour): 750 kcal/hour

The gym

You can find a vast amount of different ways to work out at a gym. The different ways doesn’t differ that very much when it comes to burning fat, so the important thing is to find something you really enjoy, to ensure that you stick with it.

This is how much aerobics, body pump, spinning and step up burns in average:

• Aerobics: 300 kcal/hour
• Body Pump: 400/hour
• Spinning: 350 kcal/hour
• Step up: 425 kcal/hour

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1.

“The higher your energy level, the more efficient your body. The more

efficient your body, the better you feel and the more you will use your

talent to produce outstanding results.”

Anthony Robbins

By exercising and resting adequately we will gain energy that can be used in other areas of our life. Therefore and improvement in your level of health and fitness may result in an improvement in your career or social life.

2.

“The hardest thing about exercise is to start doing it. Once you are

doing exercise regularly, the hardest thing is to stop it.”

Erin Gray

It seems to be a common belief among people who do not exercise enough that working out is something you always have to force yourself to do. It couldn’t be further from the truth. An effort is needed to create the habit of exercising, which might take a month or two, but when that is done you won’t see it as something you have to force yourself to do.

3.

“Fitness needs to be perceived as fun and games or we subconsciously avoid it.”

Alan Thicke

If you do not enjoy exercise, you haven’t found the exercise that is right for you. Try working out i different ways: Play basketball, ride your bike or do some yardwork.

4.

“Eighty percent of success is showing up.”

Woody Allen

If you do not feel like exercising but you still feel that you should do so, then put your running shoes on and go outdoors before deciding.

5.

“Health is a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity”
World Health Organization, 1948

If you believe that being healthy is about eating salad and taking constant power-walks, then you’re wrong. Very wrong. Health is affected by so much more that just a good diet and exercise. In order to reach a state of true health and well-being, we must avoid stress, have a good social life and spend our time doing things we really enjoy.

Share your own health quotes or tips below.

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1. 5 Health Quotes and What We Can Learn From Them, Pt. I

1.

“Our food should be our medicine and our medicine should be our food.”

Hippocrates

Today, we often cure sickness and disease with pills and treatments. It has to change. By maintaining a good and healthy diet and combine it with exercise, we can effectively prevent sickness.

2.

“Those who do not find time for exercise will have to find time for illness.”

Earl of Derby

“I don’t have time to exercise” is a common excuse. What many people don’t realise is that by exercising we get more energy, can work more effectively and avoid illness. By spending some time exercising, we’ll end up saving time.

3.

“Exercise is good for your mind, body, and soul.”

Susie Michelle Cortright

By exercising we don’t only become strong, fit and resistant to illness, but also more relaxed and happy. To invest in your health is therefore not only a way to become more good-looking or less ill, but also a way to increase your overall enjoyment of life.

4.

“Our health always seems much more valuable after we lose it.”

Unknown

Health is one of the things that is often not appreciated until we lose it. Therefore, make sure to not only be healthy but also to enjoy your health while you can.

5.

“Take care of your body. It’s the only place you have to live.”

Jim Rohn

You only have one body. If you destroy it through smoking, drinking in abundance or eating the wrong food all the time, you’ll lose your health. And, as said above, it is often when we lose our health that we learn to value it.

If you have any other great quotes on health or fitness, feel free to share them below!

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1. 5 Health Quotes and What We Can Learn From Them, Pt. II

If your into the whole antioxidant movement you’ve heard it all before – food rich in colour often contains a lot of antioxidants, that will keep our bodies from aging and protect us from a wide range of diseases.

Antioxidant capacity is often measured in ORAC – Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity. Most vegetables and fruits have orac values between 100 and 1,000 μ mol TE/100g. Different sources tell us different values for the same foods, which makes it hard to say exactly what orac value different foods has. However, these are the foods that always score high. Orac values are taken from oracvalues.com.

Green tea (ORAC: 1,253 μ mol TE/100g)

Green tea may not  have a very high orac value, but it’s concidered a very good source of antioxidants since it’s so easy to consume large quantities of it. If you drink three cups a day you can get over 8,000 orac units. Compare that with the 1,200 orac units that is said to be the average amount of antioxidants consumed per person and day in the United States.

If you find it green tea too bitter, add some honey – it’s antibacterial and won’t make you fat unless it’s overconsumed.

Blueberries (ORAC: 6,552 μ mol TE/100g)

The fact that blueberries have a strong blue color gives hints about its properties. Berries often have high orac values, often over 2,000, but blueberries are extraordinary.

Combine with some unsweetened yoghurt or quark and you have a perfect snack or dessert.

Cocoa (ORAC: 80,933 μ mol TE/100g)

Cocoa contains a kind of antioxidants called anthocyanins, that are also found in red wine, blueberries and coffe. These anthocyanins can make wonders for your health. Yet, let’s face it – overconsumption of chocolate will eventually make you fat, so don’t eat too much.

Six grammes of dark chocolate a day is said to be optimal.

Acai berries (ORAC: 102,700 μ mol TE/100g)

Acai is a berry that has gained a lot of medial attention lately due to its high content of anthocyanins. The berry is grown mainly in South America and may be hard to find on the market in other parts of the world. If you do find some, concider yourself lucky.

Cloves (ORAC 314,446 μ mol TE/100g)

Ground cloves has an orac value of over 314,000. This is extreme. Compare that with blueberries – said to be an extremely good source for antioxidants – that have a (very high) orac value of 6,000. Of course, you’re less likely to consume 100 grammes of cloves than 100 grammes of blueberries or cocoa, yet due to its extremely high orac value, you can still gain great health benefits from cloves even if you only consume small amounts.

Try using some cloves the next time you brew coffee or tea.

Read more

Healthy Diet Improves Immune System – Diet Blog

Antioxidants: Fighting the Good Fight – Mark’s Daily Apple

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Do you find it hard get motivated when it comes to exercise? Well, you’re not alone. However, here are some tips that works well for many people:

1. Don’t rush it! A common mistake is to have an “everything-or-nothing” kind of attitude, and a lot of people therefore shift between exercising a lot and not exercising at all. Believe me – it’s better to start small and take it easy. When you’ve gotten used to that small amount of exercise, you can move on. It’s better to run for 15 minutes a week than to not run at all.
2. Don’t do it alone. Working out with someone else is a great way to stick to your exercising plan. It can also make exercising much more fun.
3. Do it in the morning. Working out in the morning makes you more likely to stick to your program. Light exercise before breakfast – such as taking a walk – is also a great way to burn fat.
4. Find the things you like. Everybody have a favourite way to work out, even if some people haven’t discovered their yet. Personally I really enjoy going to the gym, but I find activities such as indoor cycling a bit boring. If you don’t enjoy exercising, try something new. What about soccer, tennis, mountain biking, swimming, rock climbing, karate or weight-lifting? Check around for possible activities in your area.
5. Keep a journal. Let’s say you’re going to the gym. Try writing down how heavy weights you use and how many reps and sets you do. If you run, write down how far and fast you run. It’s a great boost for your motivation and confidence to notice you are improving. If you want to, start a blog where you write down your progress.
6. Make it a habit. When your body gets used to working out, you won’t have to force yourself to do it. Exercise a few times a week for a few weeks and you’ll notice how your body creates an addiction. After a few months you may have to force yourself not to go exercising. That’s often the case for me.
7. Don’t think. Avoid coming up with excuses not to exercise – just do it. Don’t even make not working out an option. You’ll thank yourself later.
8. Rest. Even if you’re a top athlete, your body need to rest. Otherwise you will eventually burn out or get injured, and you won’t be very motivated (or even able) to work out.
9. Think of how you’ll look. Visualize it. Those ripped abs could be yours (yeah, really).
10. Get a coach. May cost you some money, but may very well be worth it.
11. Think long-term. You might not notice the results within a week, but think about how fit you could be in a year, in two years or in five years. Exercising on a regular basis may even make you live longer.
12. Keep it varied. Else you might get bored. If you realize you’ve become tired of some kind of exercise, try something completely new.
13. Join a competition or a race. It’s a great way to stick to your program. If you don’t want to join a competition, at least set some personal goals, e.g. a certain distance you will be able to run at a certain date.

Now it’s up to you. The thing that I’d say is the most important on the list is number 1, since it’s a very common mistake to start too fast or hard.

Do you have any other tips that have worked great for you?

Photo: aarmono

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