7 Fitness Tips for Men

Fitness is the essence of a man. Fitness is the ability of a person to do his normal everyday tasks with full alertness and vigor without worrying about fatigue and having extra energy in reserve for leisure and recreation and for when emergencies arise. Total body fitness must be the primary goal every man must try to achieve. With fitness, no one is ever too young or too old for improvement.

One's fitness can be improved by engaging in aerobic exercises and through strength training. There are three components of overall fitness that every man must focus on in order to be in healthy, tip-top shape. These are cardiovascular fitness, muscular fitness and of course, a healthy diet.

Staying strong by building muscles. A man's fitness regimen should include a work out routine which aims to build his muscles. Aging causes a decrease in muscle mass of five to seven pounds of muscle for every ten years in one's adult life given that he lives an inactive lifestyle. Truly, the saying "use it or lose it" is very applicable to a man's muscles. Fortunately, there is a solution to this. Loss of muscle mass can be reversed by engaging in a strength training program.

Improvement of a man's fitness by cardiovascular work out. A man's fitness regimen should also include cardio training to improve heart strength, resulting in a stronger "blood pump".

The best form of cardio training is called "cardio interval training", where you alternate between high intensity work followed by 2-4 minutes of active recovery (very low intensity set where you catch your breath). New research has shown cardio interval training to be more effective for improving cardiovascular fitness and burning fat than traditional "steady state" cardio training programs.

Flexibility exercises, strength training (resistance exercise) and cardiovascular work surely help boost a man's fitness and all these should be part of a man's work out program. But of all these, total body resistance exercise is the most necessary. These resistance exercises work and develop large muscle groups as well as the cardiovascular system.

If a man does not have much time for working out, devoting whatever free time he might have to resistance exercises would do him fine.

The essence of nutrition for men's fitness. It is well recommended to eat whole and natural foods frequently than large amounts of food in one to three sittings. Always keep variety in mind when doing the shopping. This will ensure that one is getting most if not all of the nutrients and minerals needed by the body to keep fit and healthy. Always keep the three important macronutreints in the diet; these are fats, carbohydrates and proteins. Prioritize proteins over carbohydrates but never exclude any one of the three, like so many fad diets recommend.

Some tips in keeping a man's fitness level high, efficient and safe:

1. Drink plenty of water all through out the day, especially when working out.

2. Do exercises properly using the correct techniques, whether it's weight lifting or cardio aerobic exercises. Always read and understand, and follow of course, the instructions outlined by your personal trainer.

3. Make sure there is always a spotter when lifting weights.

4. Challenge the muscles, but make sure that it's kept safe.

5. Stretch, warm-up prior to working out and cool-down gradually after sessions.

6. Check the equipment for safety before using.

7. It is better to do less than overdo the whole thing. Overtraining will exhaust enthusiasm and kill performance.