Trying to lose weight and keeping fit isn’t easy. Some people find developing an exercise routine harder than others, and many are finding it complicated to make time to hit the gym because of work, family or study commitments. Sometimes you need that extra push to exercise, either from your family, friends or your “wallet”. Yes your wallet folks, money is said to be a key investor to get you in the exercise mood.

You can invest in joining the gym, hiring a personal trainer, getting weight loss massages and treatments, and even plastic surgery (liposuction, among other “suctions” to the body parts you’re not happy with).

However, the most popular option is hitting the gym. Gym memberships push you to go to the fitness classes regularly because you’re paying for it. It hurts when you pay significant amounts of money to keep your membership running and never go! Months go by and you’re still not taking advantage!

Gyms today, are so versatile, with many aerobic classes ranging from boxing, spinning, dancing, steps, bodypump, among others. There are fully equipped rooms for weight exercising, yoga and pilates. They also have swimming pools and great social activities. In three words, ‘a great lifestyle’. Gyms are catering for different age demographics, they are trying to make the gym experience fun and worthwhile.

There’s also people who hate the gym, find it boring and can’t be bothered to go. This was my idea of the gym until gym chains converted into a social club.

There are many gym chains offering affordable monthly fees, with great benefits and gifts. Some can be labeled as scammy, but the question is ‘who to choose?’

Over the past years, I’ve seen the reality show ‘The Biggest Loser’ on NBC, which has featured 12 overweight contestants competing to lose weight over several months. The show used the 24 hour Fitness Gym to shed the pounds off the contestants.

The classes offered by 24 Hour Fitness Gym gave great results for the contestants. Can you imagine that they’re also available in your area. You don’t have to be a celebrity or contestant to join.

24 Hour fitness has 100,000+ square feet amenities including cardio-equipment, weights, group exercise rooms, a kid’s club, basketball courts, pools, tanning services, executive lockers, massage services, a racquetball club, a rock climbing facility and volleyball courts.

Try it for yourself and let me know good it is! Can’t wait to get your comments!

It’s sometimes hard to get motivated to change your body. It’s not easy and it requires motivation, discipline and consistency. So, it’s worthwhile trying something different, a new routine always helps.

So you’re over the gym, you’re over all the types of fitness routines out there because you’ve tried them all. Why don’t you try circuit training?

Circuit training works well for developing strength, endurance (both aerobic and anaerobic), flexibility and coordination.

This type of training is not that common, and you may require some people to practice it with, but it’s so worthwhile. It’s the preferred sport of fitness enthusiasts and even of elite athletes.

Circuit training has helped men and women lose weight, help develop a solid base of fitness and prepare the body for more stressful subsequent training.

Circuit training is great to reach one’s general fitness goals and caters for a variety of fitness levels.

Circuit training itself is not a form of exercise, rather an exercise session that’s structured in routines purely for strength development and for improving endurance.

Circuit classes consist of about ten exercises routines completed for 60 seconds in sequence with 30-60 seconds rest between. It’s high intensity characteristic will help you improve cardiovascular resistance while toning specific areas of your body.

Well, you’ll never know what the results are unless you try it. I highly recommend it instead of hitting the gym!

One of the best ways to exercise is to run. Yes, doesn’t sound that exciting, but it’s so affordable. Running can help you improve your stamina, reduce stress and burn calories. So, get ready to hit the grounds, tuck the tummy in and run for your life!

How do you get started and motivated? Here are a few tips:

Set Goals

Why do you want to run? Burn fat, lose weight, build your stamina or improve your fitness? For a first timer, you should aim for a 4km run and after reaching that goal increase to a 8-10km run. Increase your distance gradually but realistically. People are likely to stick to short goals to keep motivated in the long run.

Get Good Equipment

Update your trainers if they’re more than two years old. It’s important to have good quality shoes, you don’t want to risk harming yourself or feeling uncomfortable which can be an excuse to quit.

Pump it Up with Music

Don’t look at your watch while you’re running. Get your favorite music going to keep you excited during the jog. Never leave the house without your Ipod.

Get a Running Buddy

You can run with a buddy, in a group or with a personal trainer, running with someone gives you greater motivation and commitment. Some people need extra motivation and comradeship, so don’t be afraid to ask your friends.

Burning fat

Research says that interval training has been proven to burn three-and-a-half times more kilojoules than an even-paced run. Try jogging for two minutes, followed by a ten second one off and repeat 10-15 times depending on your fitness level. You can also stick to long runs (more than 30 minutes) at 60-75 percent of your heart rate capacity.

Keep Up The Motivation

Alternate routes, run in different directions, at different speeds and add hills to keep it interesting. You can also combine short runs with weight training and strength work. Also take into account that if you add interval training and sprints to your work out, you can continually shock your body and lose more fat.

What’s the best ground for you?

Expert trainers say that treadmills and grass are ideal to run on because they impact less on your knees and ankles while they help to reduce injury risk. So, go for the nice green grass or hit the treadmill. Choose your favorite, and keep up the good work!