Work Out Tips for Men

Keeping fit and active provides health benefits that last a lifetime. Beginners often find that, though they are going to their health club regularly, they are not getting the results they desire. The reality is that overtraining and poor diet often are the biggest factors hindering individuals from obtaining their fitness goals. Sometimes something as simple as a routine change will get you headed in the right direction.

Getting Started

• The key to working out successfully is to integrate exercise into your weekly routine so that it becomes ingrained. The most effective strategy is to start exercising in small amounts to give yourself --- and your body --- time to adjust. Exercising too much in the beginning can tire out your body and make a new exercise routine unsustainable over long periods. Starting slow and gradually increasing the amount you exercise during the first few weeks may help make exercising enjoyable rather than something that is viewed as a chore.

Diet

• While working out is important, the foods you eat are even more so in terms of obtaining the physical changes to your body you desire. Essentially, an exercise routine is only as effective as the diet that accompanies it. Replace foods with healthier alternatives, such as subbing a grain bread for white bread. Choose low-fat, low-calorie options. Reduce the amount of alcohol you drink. And, of course, eat plenty of fruits and vegetables.

  Healthy foods provide energy and nutrients to the body that stall hunger cravings, meaning you are hungry less often and have more energy throughout the day. Eating smaller meals four to five times per day rather than two to three large ones is a healthier option because your body is provided the fuel it needs more regularly and in portions that are smaller and easier to digest.

Warm-Up & Stretching

• Before training, warm up for 15 to 20 minutes. The body reacts better to exercise when the "blood is flowing." Walking or running are effective options that will signal to your body that it should prepare for a workout. It also lets the heart know to start increasing its blood flow. After warming up, stretch to prepare your muscles for the physical activity to follow.