Fitness is a very important part of my life. I used to find it difficult to motivate myself to work out, and while it cane be time consuming I definately miss it when I miss it for more than a few days! I'm wondering if you guys work out and what you do for fitness! Any good tips about working out?

So I guess I'll go first:
I work out at the gym 3 - 6 days a week, I try to go 5 - 6 times but obviously it's quite time consuming and can't always be done. Every time I go I do at least 30 min eliptical, 15 min stair clinber, and 15 min abs. If time permits I also spin and use the treadmill. If the weather is nice, I also like to jog outside. Unfortunately, I'm not much of a sporty person! But I do dance (latin, ballroom)!

And as for tips, I guess I'd say: Always push yourself. Every week you should be working out harder than the last. Be your own personal trainer! That said, if you're having an off day its ok to work at last weeks pace as long as you don't cop out at all! Staying in the schedule of going to the gym or working out is important!

When it comes to muscle building, especially abs, it's important to inhale as you work and exhale as you relax. It's important to focus on the muscle as you work out. This reduces risk of hurting yourself and I think you get more out of your workout if you do this!

Stretching out both before AND after a workout is super critical. Don't forget: Flexible muscles are healthy muscles! Stretching out reduces risk of injury and decreases "down time" that you have to wait while your body heals itself before you can work out more. Some people say you should only work out every second day, but I think you should be fine to do it back-to-back so long as you focus on different muscle groups (ie lower body then upper body) except core which should be done EVERY DAY if you want a nice flat stomach!

I think my hugest pet peeve is watching people work out with poor form. It just drives me nuts! If you don't understand an exersize don't be embarrased to ask for help! Having a second opinion can also give you insight on how often to perform each exersize and what to move onto once you have improved your muscles, because like I said you want to always push yourself!

Don't forget that no matter what genetics delt you, high metabolism or good muscle structure won't make you fit! You have to work hard to stay healthy!

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