Which Exercise Suits You? Personalise Your Exercise Routine.

...and then stick to it.

With so many sports and exercises to choose from there must be one to suit you and your lifestyle. The key to doing any exercise regime long term is to find an activity which you will enjoy and fits into your lifestyle. Adding some exercise into your daily schedule pays off with better health and improved fitness. Spending a lot of time exercising is not necessary as shorter workouts 2 or 3 times per week may be just enough to get you motivated.

Many people start an exercise routine, buy all the equipment they need and then realise it isn't for them, they become bored, or worse, injure themselves. Then the equipment is left to collect dust, fitness doesn't improve and money has been spent.

Another thing that happens is people find themselves 'sucked in' by the latest exercise fad equipment and when they find it's not for them, or the equipment doesn't live up to the advertised claims, they give up.

Others complain about a lack of motivation, it's just too hard to get started. When you do take action however, motivation will follow, so the time to start having a better, healthier lifestyle is right now. Motivation will spark with your first exercise.

A simple approach to exercise may be the best way to get started. Aim to simply tone up rather than lose weight initially as once you are motivated to do more exercise the weight will drop anyway. Along with this simple regime take a look at your diet as well and make some necessary changes, like cutting down on sugar, fats or fried foods. Another easy thing you can do with diet is to simply eat smaller meals.

• Yoga or Pilates - 10-15 minutes of easy stretches before breakfast daily.
• Walk - take the dog for a walk every day. Don't have a dog? Then just take yourself.
• Swim - is there a pool nearby? Take the plunge 2 to 3 times a week.
• Use a console - Invest in a Nintendo Wii, have fun with the Wii Fit program.
• DVD - buy the latest work out DVD and get started in your own home.
• Housework - get down and dirty with household chores. Add some stretches whilst vacuuming or mopping.

Start slowly on an exercise routine so as not to cause injuries, eat well and see the positive effects this new routine will bring to your life. Combine activities too, add some variety to your work out to keep it from becoming boring. Encourage some one close to you to join you, motivation will be doubled and each will keep the other going.

Go ahead, choose your exercise and get started today.

A well known fact is that eating healthy goes along with exercising, the two go hand in hand when it comes to maintaing a healthy lifestyle. What also seems to happen is once you start exercising the body tends to want healthier foods; cravings for sugar-laden foods, sweet drinks and midnight snacks tend to disappear the longer you exercise.

As mentioned above you don't have to make drastic changes to your diet if your aim is to simply tone and stay fit. Just watch what you eat, keep a diet diary if necessary and generally eat fresh, natural food which is good for the body.

The aim is simple; choose an exercise routine to suit your lifestyle, modify your diet to lose weight or maintain a healthy weight and enjoy a happier, healthier you.

Exercise equipment comes in many forms and a quick search on the net will give a myriad of choices; good, bad and of course, the latest 'get fit quick' fad available.

EXERCISE AND DIET FADS OVER THE YEARS

• The Thigh Master - slim thigh's anyone? Watch out it doesn't fly out from your thighs whilst you are trying to exercise.
• The Contour Core Sculpting System - an electric ab machine. Electric? Whose doing the work then?
• Hawaii Chair - do the hula whilst sitting down, now that's how to exercise!
• The Shape Weight - looks like something that should stay in the bedroom. This is one of the latest 'fads' available.
• The Hollywood 18-day Diet - only eat oranges and grapefruit daily! Acid anyone?
• The Cabbage Soup Diet - only good if you want to be bloated all day. You won't have many friends on this diet!
• The Pineapple and Lamb Chop Diet - the pineapple's juice reduces the lamb fat. So where does the fat go?
• The Paleolithic Diet - eat meat like cave dwellers used to. What happened to 'meat with 3 veges'?
• The Lemon detox - see the 18-day hollywood diet.

There are some exercise trends which may seem to be fads initially but when tried and tested they actually do work. Wii Fit is one "do it yourself" program which involves exercising and having fun at the same time. There are things you can do, such a hula hoop, slalom, juggling and many more, which are just plain fun whilst allowing you to become fit.

Wii Fit allows personalising your regime to suit you and if used on a daily basis can help your body tone and strengthen. The program has warnings about not over doing it and exercising at your level, it is wise to follow these especially when you first begin an exercise regime. This applies to anyfitnessprogram you eventually decide on.