Let’s face it, the thought of stripping off the layers and revealing, pale, bare flesh is enough to make most of us a little anxious.

Scrubbing, buffing and a little fake tanning will help with the summer body of course. But what about if you could go on your hola a good few pounds lighter? Most of us would feel better and have a bit more confidence on the beach.

So we asked our favorite dietitian Juliette Kellow for a plan to make the most of those last few weeks before the holiday, here’s the plan.

Three Weeks to Summer Shorts is an easy-to-follow three-week diet that’s designed to help you lose half a stone (7lbs / 3.5kg). Better still, it’s suitable for most people.

You can add the Summer Shorts Plan straight into your Food Diary in WLR (take a free trial if you want to try this), once it’s where you can easily change bits of it to suit your tastes whilst still keeping on track to lose the weight.

How to Lose the Most Weight in 3 Weeks

How much it’s possible to lose will depend on your starting weight. Heavier people will lose weight more quickly on this plan because of the relatively low number of calories in comparison to what’s needed for maintenance.

You can maximize weight loss by burning up some extra calories through exercise, or simply moving more. (Think to pace around the kitchen while you’re waiting for the kettle, or always using the upstairs loo, etc.)

Whether you’ve come to WLR to lose weight for your summer holiday or want to kick start a longer-term eating plan to help you shift several stones, this 3-week diet plan provides an easy way to get started.

The plan will also be useful if you’re already on the road to losing weight, but feel your motivation beginning to slip. The 3 weeks of focus will help you get back on track and leave you feeling inspired, as well as half a stone lighter!

How to Lose a Stone

If you want to use this easy diet plan to lose a stone, most people will need to follow it for 6 or 7 weeks. It’s very healthy and has plenty of variety to help you stick to it.

Heavier people may find it only takes a month or so, for the reason stated above.

So forget about hiding those bulges under long baggy clothes. Instead, start following our plan today and in just three weeks you’ll feel cool, comfortable and more confident in shorts, t-shirts, and swimsuits.

Here’s what to do…

• It couldn’t be easier! Over the next three weeks, simply follow the daily menu plans. It’s fine to swap the order around to fit in with your lifestyle – for example, you may prefer to start your diet with the meals given for day 3, followed by day 6 and so on.
• You may repeat your favorite daily menu in place of one of the others or swap individual meals from one daily menu to the next if you don’t like some of the choices given.
• In addition to the daily meal plans, choose ONE snack every day. You may choose from either the SAVE (100 calories) or SPLURGE (250 calories) snacks – remember though, the more times you choose the SAVE option, the more weight you’ll lose!
• Each day, have 275ml/½pint skimmed milk to use in tea and coffee, to drink on its own or to make into a smoothie using fruit from the menu plans. Milk is packed with calcium, needed for strong, healthy bones so it’s important to have this every day.
• Remember, portion size matters! All teaspoon and tablespoon measurements should be level, one small can is equivalent to around 200g, and jacket potatoes should weigh around 175g/6oz.
• Add plenty of vegetables or salad to meals. You should eat five different servings of fruit and veg every day to boost your intake of fiber, vitamins, and minerals. It’s fine to sweeten fruit with a little artificial sweetener if liked.
• Drink eight glasses of water each day, water really helps with weight loss. It’s also fine to drink tea, coffee, herbal tea, and sugar-free squashes.
• For even more focus on eating to get your body ready for the beach, see my holiday body diet tips.

How many calories does the diet provide?

Each daily menu, together with the milk allowance, adds up to 1,150 calories. Choosing a SAVE (100 calorie) snack takes this up to 1,250 calories; choosing a SPLURGE (250 calories) snack takes it up to 1,400 calories.

It’s up to you whether you choose SAVE or SPLURGE, but as a general guideline, if you have less than 1st to lose you should opt for the SAVE snack, while if you have more than 1st to lose, you should choose the SPLURGE snack.

Finally, as this is a short-term three-week plan, you may find it contains fewer calories than you’ve been having each day. Once you’ve completed the diet, you should go back to your usual daily calorie allowance recommended by WLR.

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You can get in touch with us 24/7 and one of our experts will not only give you a free consultation but also help you pick out an appropriate male or female personal trainer to meet your needs. One-on-one personal training lessons are available in Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Sharjah, Ajman, Al ain, UAQ and RAK.

Our Certified and experienced coaches will help you to start an excellent preventative technique to strengthen and stabilize your core muscles, protecting the body against potential injury. Involves stretching, strengthening & re-alignment of the body with each movement executed slowly & precisely.

Intelligent movement for smart people!

Trainer.ae helps you to tone your muscles through Pilates, especially around your midsection. This shapes your body and gives you a leaner appearance. Because an improved appearance is what most people strive for when they try to lose weight, this technique can help you achieve that goal

Pilates Is Whole-Body Fitness

Pilates Is Adaptable to Many Fitness Levels and Needs

Pilates Creates Strength without Bulk

Pilates Increases Flexibility

Pilates Develops Core Strength

Pilates Improves Posture

Pilates Increases Energy

Pilates Promotes Weight Loss and Long, Lean Appearance

Pilates Increases Awareness – Body/Mind Connection

Try it!

New to Pilates and wondering how to get started? Book a trail class with our Certified Personal Pilates Trainer.

Pilates is more than just a workout. Any person who’s been doing it for at least a couple of months knows that Pilates doesn’t only sculpt your body but it also clears your mind and gives you energy and inner serenity. But what is so special about Pilates?

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After practicing Pilates for 5 years and teaching it for 3 years I’ve seen changes in my body and mind as well as observed the same transformations in my clients. Most people come to a Pilates class to get a flat tummy, ease joint pains and discomforts, rehabilitate after surgery or improve their athletic performance. And Pilates can do all of that!

But the most amazing part happens when students start seeing changes not only in their bodies but also in their minds, in their emotions and in their lives altogether. I’m partial, of course, but Pilates is a true miracle tool.

The modern world is full of distractions, stresses, and chaos. Each one of us is looking for a personal state of peace and tranquility that would help us make sense of everything that is going on in our lives. When searching for that inner balance we usually consider popular self-improvement techniques like meditation, simplifying, affirmations etc. but we rarely consider any form of exercise as a viable tool to help us balance our lives.

12 scientifically proven reasons Pilates is an all-inclusive ticket to your peace of mind

The Pilates Method of Body Conditioning is complete coordination of body, mind, and spirit.

1. Pilates improves your memory and makes you smarter.

Beginning in our late 20s most of us start losing about 1% of the volume of our hippocampus, a portion of the brain responsible for memory and cognitive function. Our brains are literally shrinking.

For a long time scientists thought that we were born with a certain number of brain cells but recently they discovered that our brains could create new cells thus slowing down or reversing brain shrinkage. What will it mean to you? It means better memory, lower risks of Alzheimer’s disease, better learning and problem solving, a higher IQ and more.

2. Pilates trains your brain.

Learning new activities is a proven brain-training technique. If the neurons are formed but they don’t connect then eventually they die without any benefit to brain health so this white matter is extremely important.

Learning a new activity is an important part of brain fitness. But most of us don’t have extra several hours a week to learn how to juggle (that is what Heidi Johansen Berg used in her research) or take on a new hobby.

An exercise program, however, can be just the right way to multitask – benefit our body and our mind at the same time. If you start to automatize your workout (like running on a treadmill while watching TV, doing reps at the gym without focusing on your form or flying through the same Yoga sequence every week) you cut the benefit of your workout in half (not even mentioning that you double the risk of an injury.)
According to Anne Bishop, a Pilates instructor, and researcher, learning a new movement or a new modification in a Pilates routine provides just the effect we are looking for by challenging the body and mind at the same time.

3. Deeper muscle activation means a better function of the nervous system.

Every time we move we use several specific areas of our brain. The brain then sends an impulse through the spinal cord to muscle fibers (the process is more complicated than that and requires a bunch of words that my spell checker doesn’t even know.)

When you learn to voluntary engage certain muscles (like deep core activation in Pilates) you fire a movement chain that might have been asleep for a long time. Did you know that your core consists of 29 muscles and not just a six-pack? Learning to use them is a cleansing rinse for your nervous system.

A healthy nervous system means better communication between your brain and other parts of your body as well as the release of stress-fighting and mood-boosting hormones.

4. Calm mind and emotions with Pilates.

You have probably heard a lot about the benefits of mindfulness meditation for your mind and body. To sum them up, meditation:

• Relieves anxiety and depression,
• Bits of help treat insomnia,
• Sharpens the mind,
• Uncovers creative thinking,
• Relieves stress,
• Helps with chronic pain management,
• Reduces negative emotions,
• helps fight addictions and instill positive habits,
• Lowers blood pressure and improve cardiovascular health.

When most of us think about meditation we imagine a Buddhist monk or a New Age person chanting in solitude. But perhaps we are wrong as we envision only one way that mindfulness can enter our lifestyle.

Though the concept originates in ancient Buddhist, Hindu and Chinese traditions, when it comes to experimental psychology, mindfulness is less about spirituality and more about concentration: the ability to quiet your mind, focus your attention on the present, and dismiss any distractions that come your way.

Pilates lets you concentrate your attention on one thing – your body. Whether you want it or not, you have to clear your mind of any distractions if you are performing Pilates coordination work on the Reformer or if you are just visualizing an inner spring in your core that your instructor is talking about.

Pilates lets you reap all the benefits of meditation without actually sitting still and feeling like you are wasting your time.

You can gain mindfulness benefits only if you are comfortable with what you are doing. Some enjoy the peacefulness of a traditional meditation while others get better results from a mindful movement that cleanses the mind while exercising the body.

5. Pilates relieves stress tension in our body.

You have probably heard about the famous “fight-or-flight” response to stressful situations. When confronted with a stressful situation (real, like almost getting in a car wreck or imaginative, like fear of public speaking) our body releases a wave of stress hormones to prime our body to fight or flee.

In a stressful situation, our body is ready to move at its peak performance but in most modern-day scenarios we can’t run away when stuck in a traffic jam and can’t pick a fight with our boss. Physical activity is supposed to metabolize the buildup of stress hormones but instead, we try to keep everything inside and work our way through it.

The result? Stress hormones settle in our body causing hypertension, muscle spasms, and pain.

Pilates relieves tension built up in the muscles through gentle stretching and gradual conditioning. An energetic Jump board workout will let you metabolize stress hormones built up in your muscles. And facial release techniques that many Pilates instructors use in their classes today will help you loosen tight muscles that are not responsive to passive stretching. When you get stress out of your body, you also get it out of your mind.

A body free from nervous tension and fatigue is the ideal shelter provided by nature for housing a well-balanced mind, fully capable of successfully meeting all the complex problems of modern living.

6. Pilates and Yoga tame your stress.

While it’s important to drive stress out of your body, it’s even more important to prevent stress from entering your mind. If you don’t address the cause of stress (the way you perceive situations and respond to them) you won’t be able to have lasting stress relief.

Research about the benefits of Pilates to tame stress is pretty much non-existent but Yoga has been proven time and time again to be a powerful stress reliever. While Yoga and Pilates are quite different (and that’s a subject for another article) they still share several similarities especially if taught as a mindful movement practice and not just as a fast-paced gym workout.

Several recent studies have found the positive effects of regular Yoga practice on stress reduction and improved wellbeing.

Yoga and Pilates pose embody steadiness and ease, they teach you to find opposition inside your body and use it to gain greater control of the body.

Another group of studies published in the Yoga Journal showed the stress-reducing benefits of regular and even a one-time Yoga session. According to the authors, the physical challenge of a pose becomes the equivalent of a stressor. The same happens during a Pilates class that incorporates intermediate and advanced Pilates moves or is focused on the flowing transitions. When physical demands are met with steady breathing and mindfulness the nervous system responds by maintaining activation while keeping an underlying sense of calm. This response lets us face our day-to-day stress with clarity and respond to it without getting overwhelmed.

7. Pilates makes you happier.

If you love Pilates then it will make you happier.

When our body is positively stressed, like when you go through a favorite workout, endorphins are released into the body that makes us feel good. If you enjoy your workout and stay focused on it instead of letting your mind wander somewhere else you will feel happy and calm at the end.

Physical fitness is the first requisite of happiness.

8. Pilates makes you more creative.

A creative and open mind lets us experience life fully and come up with inventive ways to deal with life’s challenges.

Exercise and mindfulness meditation each have proven to improve creativity. When you combine the two in a Pilates workout you get even better results for your mind and your body.

9. Pilates lets you control your emotions.

Our emotions and breathing are closely connected. A recent study by Pierre Philpot (as cited by Psychology Today) showed that different emotional states are associated with distinct breathing patterns. Think of how your breathing changes when you face something frightening as opposed to something pleasant. There is no major breakthrough in this finding, just common sense.

However, the interesting part of the study was that different breathing patterns evoke certain emotions. You can basically breathe yourself into calmness or anxiety.

Above all, learn to breathe correctly.
~Joseph Pilates

Breath is one of the six fundamental Pilates principles. Learning to control your breath is probably the biggest benefit of Pilates since many of us are “lazy-breathers”. The techniques that you learn in a Pilates class can also be used in different life situations to calm your mind or get through a stressful situation.

10. Mindful Movement helps release emotional tension.

Any mind/body professional can tell a lot about your personality by simply looking at your posture and observing your movement. Over time we store our emotions and anxieties in our body. We clench our jaws when we want to yell, slouch when we feel inferior or shy, and tighten our hips to suppress emotions of sadness and fear.
Pilates practice lets you release your muscles and gain control of the deep core muscles that tend to be closely connected to your emotional baggage. When you release muscles that hold your emotional tension you also let go of the emotional baggage that you’ve been carrying around for who knows how long.

11. Pilates teaches you to be yourself.

The modern world puts us under a lot of stress because we constantly feel the need to conform to certain standards. We constantly have to push our boundaries to meet a deadline, be a better parent or look an act according to modern-day standards.

Pilates teaches us to respect our body and be content with it. Pilates practice is focused on working within your range of motion and building up your strength and flexibility gradually. Interesting enough, once we become confident in what we are doing we find strength and motivation to move to the next level. However, our progress is not propelled by comparing ourselves to someone else but rather by setting our personal standards and priorities that are meaningful to us.

When we learn to respect our bodies this way we also learn to do the same with everything else in our lives. We start living according to our priorities and desires, instead of keeping up with the Joneses.

12. Become more confident.

In her TED Talk, social psychologist Amy Cuddy discusses how the “power” posture boosts confidence levels. I hope you listened to your Mama when she told you to sit up straight and straighten up because it is the exact posture that makes us more confident.

Pilates is all about good posture and proper body alignment. Of course, good posture is important for your health but you will also gain the confidence benefit from it.

Through the Pilates Method of Body Conditioning, this unique trinity of a balanced body, mind, and spirit can ever be attained. Self-confidence follows.
~Joseph Pilates

If you didn’t have enough reasons to try Pilates or to fit another class into your schedule then hopefully you do now.

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The torso is the human body, without the head, arms, and legs. It is also referred to as the trunk of the body. Many of us, in our workout routines, are fond of exercises that concentrate on different parts of the body; the abs, calves, chest, arm, etc. hardly do we ever think of looking at the body as a whole. The torso helps greatly to support the body, and exercising it consistently, would work on the spine, abdominal muscles, shoulders, and tone the arm effectively. Although we have exercises in parts for all these parts of the body, it is still very important that we sometimes take our time to work them as a whole.

Below are 4 effective torso workouts that you can do at home

1. Oblique toner

The oblique toner works the upper body and gives a firm upper body and a well-toned waist. Stand with feet shoulder-width apart, hold any weight in each hand, and keep arms by the side. Now, begin sliding one arm towards the knee, and ensure your body goes sideways and not forward or backward. Alternate sides and repeat for a handful number of times.

2. Dips

Dips helps to strengthen and tone the arms, abdominal muscles, and the shoulders. First, get a chair, and sit on its edge and place your hands next to your thighs. Keep your body balanced with your arms, while you move in front of the chair with your legs straight at the knees. Now, bend your elbows and try to lower your body by a few inches, with your shoulders down and elbows parallel to each other at an angle of 90 degrees. Then, push back to the original position, and repeat the process.

3. Plank

Plank is one of the common exercises we hear about lately, but many of us do not know its actual benefits. This exercise is a great one to strengthen your spine.

From your standing position, bend down with your hands placed in front of you. Then, attempt to lie face down, but your body shouldn’t have contact with the ground. Hold your body up with your toes and elbows or hands. Remain in this position for seconds, till you no longer can hold it. Then, relax back and take a deep breath.

4. Knee Tuck

Knee tuck is a perfect toner for the torso and helps to strengthen the core. Lie on your stomach on the floor, with your palms under your shoulders, and your legs extended behind you. Keep the balls of your feet on the floor and try to raise your body with the help of your hands. Still, in that position, lift one foot off the floor and press knee towards your upper body. At this point, you should feel your lower back bend, after which you can return to the starting position and repeat the process on the alternate leg.

Conclusion

Above, are four easy, interesting, and effective exercises that will help to strengthen the trunk and keep the body upright.

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Stronger, fitter legs come with a number of advantages including increased coordination, agility, strength for everyday tasks such as lifting heavy objects, weight loss and of course, they look good. If you’re looking to develop your thighs and hips then you’re in the right place; we will show you four exercise moves to give your legs and tush a firm push in the right direction. Read on to learn more about these effective shaping exercises:

Single leg squats

Stand with your feet together and your arms by your side, and shift your weight on to the right foot. Recline your left foot on a surface behind you, such as a chair or table, then lower your body until your butt is parallel with your knees and return to starting position. This is an excellent move for building strength and definition in your thighs in particular.

Standing abduction

To execute this move, you should stand next to a wall, resting your palm on it for balance. Keeping both legs fully straightened, extend your outer leg to the side till it forms a 45 degree angle with your torso. The key to performing this exercise with proper technique is making sure you never have to move your upper body or lean back in order to fully extend your leg. This exercise is very effective for working the glutes (butt) and hip muscles.

Double –leg lift

The double leg leglift is a good move for working all the muscles in the thigh area, but with the iliopsoas muscle of the hip. To perform this exercise, lie on your back, hands straightened out by your sides and your feet together. Keeping both legs fully stretched out in front of you; lift both legs in the air till they form a 90 degree angle with your pelvis and then reverse the motion. Always keep in mind that the motion should be executed slowly.

Lunges

Stand with your feet together and hold a dumbbell down at your sides with your palms facing in towards your thighs. Take a big step forward with your right leg, and plant your right foot and slowly lower your knee towards the floor. Keep your back straight and your right knee inclined at a 90 degree angle, and then return to starting position to the starting position and repeat with your left leg.

Conclusion

In isolation, these moves will develop specific muscles in your thigh area more than others but you can combine two or more of these moves to achieve the desired effect of slimmer hips and thighs.

A professional fitness instructor might be able to help you achieve your fitness goals by offering more in depth advice and customized guidance.

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Yoga and Pilates are like twins, but not identical ones. They are both exercises that target muscles and joints but they have different jobs to do on those muscles and joints. Here are some differences in what Pilates and yoga does.

PILATES: The main focus of Pilates are strength, muscle toning, core strength and body control with the main focus being on core strength. With Pilate, the breathing is used more as a technique of providing the muscles with the energy they need to exercise effectively. Pilates exercises are a lot more intense than yoga, and results may be achieved much quicker. If you are trying to lose weight fast, you could try Pilates exercise, it will help you burn additional calories. Pilates focuses more on physical rehabilitation.

YOGA: On the other hand, yoga focuses on flexibility and broad muscle groups. It offers balance, endurance, strength, spirituality and some really physical movement. The breathing exercise in yoga helps you to achieve relaxation. Unlike Pilates, when you have back pains care has to be taken with some yoga poses as they will actually make the existing problem worse. Yoga is good for weight loss, but it’s not the fastest way to do it. Yoga is especially effective for mental and emotional health.

The overall difference between Pilates and yoga is that yoga provides a meditative environment for you to improve your overall quality of life, it focuses on stress relief while improving your body. Pilates works from the center of your body outward, it forces you to increase your body awareness and work from your core resulting in a stronger body. They both have their merits and the best part is that you really don’t have to choose, cause you can do both. You can have it all.

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Do you want to do Pilates, but you know nothing about it? Here is a full guide on what you need to know about Pilates.

What is Pilates?

Pilates is an accessible way to build strength in your core muscles for better posture, balance and flexibility. It is demanding but it is not the type of work out that will make you hot and sweaty. It’s all about concentration and breathing but you’ll definitely feel it in your muscles during exercise. What sets Pilates apart from other exercises is its focus on toning the muscles with springs, bands or your own body weight. There are different types of Pilates to choose from, for example the ‘Pilates hundred’, ‘neck peel’, ‘shoulder bridge’, ‘tendon strength’, ‘sparklers’ etc.

Who is Pilates for?

Pilates isn’t just for fitness fiends, it’s for everybody, be it beginners or those who have been in the fitness circle for a long time. If you are someone who wants to have a tight core, or straight a back, or even someone who wants fit legs, Pilates is what you need. In general, Pilates isn’t designed for a particular group of people, it’s for everyone.

Health benefits of Pilates.

If you have an annoying back pain that won’t let you be as agile as you would want to be, pilates is a great solution to your problem and it is easy on your joints. It boosts your brain power, it prevents injuries related to muscle imbalances. It also relaxes your body and is a major stress reliever.

Can you lose weight with Pilates?

Most people don’t think Pilates alone is enough to help you lose weight, just because it doesn’t require heavy lifting and profuse sweating doesn’t mean it is any less than other weight loss exercise. Pilates effectively conditions your core muscles, which boosts your calorie-burning potential. So yes, you can lose weight with Pilates.

Risks of Pilates.

As with any exercise, poor technique in Pilates carries the risks of injuring muscles and joints. It is very important to know what you are doing before you start, or you can get a qualified Pilates instructor to ensure your safety. Certain Pilates exercises require balances and is very easy to fall from if you can’t balance yourself properly.

Safety measures.

There is a high percentage of risks in Pilates, but there is a way you can avoid those risks. You need to follow instructions exactly as they are, do not change anything. Concentration is key, your mind should be in it. And don’t push yourself too hard, if you know you’ve reached your limit, stop!

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Sometimes you find it really hard to keep up with your workout routine because you have things to do and places to be. Getting to the gym seems like a lost course, but hey! Who says you need the gym and it’s fancy equipments. There are exercises that you can do anywhere and still be as fit as the gym regular.

Air squats.

If you are looking for some serious fitness results without making trips to the gym, Air squats is one of the best ways to get the result that you want. You don’t need any equipment to do it, and results are fast too. To do the air squats, stand with your feet shoulder-width apart with your toes pointed slightly outward, your hands hanging by your sides. Contract your ab muscles , bend your knees and push your butt and hips out and down behind you like you do when you are sitting on a chair. Your weight should be dispelled on your heels and your knees should be in front of your toes. Press down until your thighs are beyond parallel to the ground and your arms stretched in front of you. Keep that position for a few seconds, straighten your hips and squeeze your butt when coming back up and bring your arms back to your sides. Repeat the process as long as you can.

Burpees.

Burpees is one of those exercises that are really hard to do and you’ll most likely hate it by the time you are done but it’s benefits is ten times worth the pain! To do the burpees, stand straight and then lower yourself into a squat position with your hands on the floor in front of you, kick your feet back into a push-up position and drop your chest to the floor immediately. Bow your chest up as you return your feet back to the squat position as fast as possible and jump up into the air as high as you can.

Handstand push-up.

You know push-ups? Yeah, this is a more advanced, harder version of push-ups. It is difficult in that it requires balance, but hey that’s what we have walls here for, right? You can brace yourself against a wall when doing handstand push-ups. To do the handstand push-up, face a wall in a standing position, kick your feet up so you’re in a handstand position against a wall. Squeeze your abs, glutes and thigh muscles. Lower yourself towards the ground as far as possible, push back up and repeat.

Mountain climbers.

Mountain climbers target your glutes and leg muscles, and your core muscles. Mountain climbers involve constant, smooth and repetitive movement. To do the mountain climber, start in a push-up position, with your arms extended straight and your legs extended behind you. Bend one knee and draw it towards your chest, planting the ball of your foot on the floor under your hip. Do the same thing with the other leg and keep alternating between your two legs. Do it as long as you can. you don’t need to worry about cutting your workouts, you can do it anywhere you want and it is even more fun!

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Most hardcore fitness freaks look at cardio machines as some kind of sacrilegious object and would never be seen dead or alive, near one. While running and other more “natural” cardio exercises might seem more “legit”, cardio machines are just as effective and may even be much safer, especially for people with a history of knee trouble.

If you ever decide to visit the gym, here are the top 5 cardio machines you should try:

1. The Treadmill

The treadmill is probably one of the most popularly used and distinctive cardio machines, and it probably doesn’t need much introduction here. Treadmills are an excellent alternative for running for people who would rather workout indoors, as you can burn hundreds of calories when you use them. One big advantage the treadmill has over conventional running is that you can usually adjust the speed and incline of the treadmill to adjust its difficulty to suit your level.

2. The elliptical

The elliptical is a great cardio option for people who might have some problems with their knees. You use this machine in a standing position which makes your body do a lot of extra work and more muscles are activated. Some elliptical machines also have an arm component which makes them good machines for both cardio and a total body workout.

3. Stationary Bikes

The stationary bike is the number one recommended cardio machine for people with knee pain, and other related issues, as it puts so little strain on the knees while giving a good cardio workout and working the lower body muscles too. You should remember to set the seat of the bike to a level that suits your height.

4. Stair Steppers

Stair steppers are apparently not very popular these days but this classic exercise machine has a number of fitness benefits; so don’t skip over it blindly, when next you go to the gym. Stair steppers will work your lower body muscles specifically but they will also target enough muscles to qualify as a cardio exercise, particularly if you do them at a high enough intensity.

5. Rowers

So-named for mimicking the motion of rowing, rowers are a great machine for strength training as they work practically every muscle group in the body. They can also be used for a cardio workout which is something not a lot of people are aware of. As an added advantage, this machine involves low-zero impact, making it relatively safe for people with troublesome knees.

Conclusion

You can use these cardio machines when you go to the gym or even buy them for your home if you have the space; just don’t ignore the great benefits you could reap from using them.

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If you’re anything like most people, when you hear the word fitness, you’re mind probably goes to bulging biceps or having the capacity to run for miles on end without even breaking into a sweat. But flexibility (the capability of muscles to go through the full range of motion for a particular joint), is an important aspect of fitness too. Being flexible can significantly reduce your chances of developing injuries and also enhance your ability to grow stronger and bigger muscles.

Read on to learn the top 7 tips that will help you improve your flexibility today:

1. Dynamic Stretching

It has always been thought that static stretch moves—that involve holding a muscle in place for a period of time—were the appropriate way to stretch a muscle. This line of thinking has, however, been found to be scientifically inaccurate by recent research which instead, promotes the use of dynamic warm up and stretch moves such as squats, walking lunges and jumping jacks, for promoting muscle elasticity and flexibility. Static stretch moves still retain their usefulness, though, as the ideal method for port-workout stretching and relaxation.

2. Regular stretch days

Aside from pre and post-workout stretching, another way to increase flexibility is to have a regular stretch day—a day solely dedicated to stretching your muscles, without doing any other exercise. Preferably, this should be done on your recovery days.

3. Avoid half-range motion

You have probably heard that doing certain exercises with half the range of motion is beneficial for building stronger muscles and this is true; but when you work out like this, it has a negative effect on the flexibility of the working joint so, if you’re looking to build flexibility (which is really a wider range of motion) then it makes sense that when you work out, you use the full range of motion possible.

4. Regular Massages

Over time, stress from exercise and daily life may cause muscles to get tense and form knots which inhibit flexibility without you even realizing what might be happening to you. If/when this happens, getting a massage might help your muscles relax and regain their elasticity.

5. Some Yoga

Yoga has taken 21^st century pop culture by storm and while we are not able to verify its supposed spiritual effects, we can tell you that yoga moves are just the sort of thing you should be thinking of doing to improve your flexibility.

6. Correct posture and form

Poor form during exercise will inevitably inhibit your flexibility and could possibly led to other long term effects. Much of the work of maintaining correct posture during exercise is done by having a strong core so make sure you develop your abdominal and back muscles to promote better flexibility.

7. Stay Hydrated

Muscles are filled with water which is something a lot of people may not realize. The impact of this is that when your body is not optimally hydrated, the capacity of muscles to perform the full range of muscles is weakened, so drinking sufficient amounts of water before, during, and after exercise is important for flexibility.

Conclusion

Flexibility is a major part of fitness; so take the time to follow these eight tips and you will be glad you did.

A personal trainer might be able to help you get the best out of your training plans and if you would like to hire one, we would be glad to recommend someone you can trust. Kindly get in touch with us at:

WhatsApp number: +971 565 830 067  (Just send us code 3240 and we will get back to you ASAP)
Contact Us: Click here to send us your details or fill in the form below.

You can get in touch with us 24/7 and one of our experts will not only give you a free consultation but also help you pick out an appropriate male or female personal trainer to meet your needs. One-on-one personal training lessons are available in Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Sharjah, Ajman and RAK.
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