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method fitness blog

5 home gym essentials to exercise proof your life

Want to exercise proof your fitness life? Well then with a few inexpensive pieces of equipment you can create a home gym. This will help you along with your exercise regime the times you can’t make it to your fitness class or want to add a little extra training to your routine. And not only are they inexpensive they won’t take up lots of room.

Dumbbells
A classic component of any gym. You’ll need a couple of different weights to work out different parts of your body.

Medicine Ball
Keep home workouts fresh by using different shape weights. It’s a great way to add resistance to an ab workout or even challenge those walking lunges. Find the weight that works best for you and make the investment.

Skipping Rope
Great for warming up and adding cardio bursts or burn calories in little time.

Exercise Mats
These make all floor work out comfortable; make sure it is thick (not a yoga mat).

Foam Roller
The ultimate tool for cooling down. You can massage almost every part of your body with the roller. This is making it seem like a treat. A roller can also be used for great ab and core workouts.

Resistance Bands
Not only are they compact and easy to store away, they also offer many ways to challenge your muscles and up your workout difficulty.

All of these pieces can be added to any of the exercises Short Circuit Workouts blog posting on the 29 Jan to add an extra level of difficulty.

So here you have five pieces of equipment for a home gym that won’t break your budget or take up too much space, so you can be a happier healthier you!

5 ways to make your metabolism speedy

It is a known fact that what we eat and how we work out can actually speed up our body’s metabolism. So if you want to lose a few extra kilos, then by making a few little tweaks here and there will help you along your way and only add to a healthy lifestyle.

eat well
When you eat plays a major role in metabolism. Breakfast is our most important and first meal of the day, after a good night’s rest (and eight hours of fasting), the body needs fuel, but if you skip out on breakfast, then your body will conserve energy by slowing down your metabolism. This is true for all your other meals, never skip out on healthy meals or snacks during the day, as it will only slow down your metabolism. In addition some foods have shown to increase your metabolic rate like lean protein, calcium, green tea, curry and dark chocolate.

sleep well
Are you getting enough Zzzzz’s? Besides feeling exhausted, a lack of sleep can lead to several health problems, including weight gain. Not getting enough sleep each night doesn’t allow your metabolism to function properly, and instead your metabolism slows down. So make it your aim to get at least 8 hours a night sleep…doesn’t that sound heavenly!

water well
Drinking water is rarely a bad thing, but it just got even better! A German study has shown that after only drinking 2 cups of water, the participants’ metabolism increased by about 30 percent. One of many reasons to hydrate with water.

intense cardio
Rev up the body’s metabolism, by doing an intense 45-minute cardio sessions a few times a week. Whilst the researchers have varying opinions on what produces this increase in calories burned, most research leans toward the afterburn effect, in which a period of intense activity causes the body’s metabolism to spike and burn off more fat than usual. Indoor cycle classes are a good way to do an intense cardio session.

muscle power
Building muscle through resistance training helps give your metabolism an upward bump. Muscle burns calories at a higher rate than fat so working out those muscles will increase your calorific expenditure. Not only is resistance training good for your metabolic rate it also helps with your bone density and can be a preventer for osteoporosis.

So what’s stopping you from making a few small changes and being the best you!