Variety Truly Is The Spice of Fitness

Different types of exercise can be very humbling for people because it exposes our weaknesses - and most people don't like being/looking bad at anything. The commitment to exercise is hard enough and now I'm asking you to do two minutes of Kettblebell swings, run the bleachers, do turkish get ups and push up planks. "That's too hard!" This is why most people never leave their aerobics class, get off the treadmill or attempt something other than their 15 minute walk. As a "challenging" based program MVP Kettlebell Boot Camp is designed to emphasize your weaknesses as well as your strengths. This is the sole reason why it works. Never before did you see Cardio and strength training in the same program because even trainers gravitate toward only one or two specialties.

Boredom, plateaus and injury are the enemy and the only way to combat them is through Variety. If you're struggling it's working. Swallow some humble pie and don’t give up.

10 Reasons to Exercise

Regular exercise gives you so many amazing benefits, but let's face it, some days you may get too busy, too stressed and simply too tired to fit exercise in your day.

Here's a list of my top 10 reasons to exercise. Pull out this list and read it when you're having one of those days.

1. To Prevent Disease
Exercise has been proven to reduce the risk of just about every single health problem known to man, from Stroke to Heart Disease to Cancer and Osteoporosis. Exercise is also a great defense against Type 2 Diabetes, which is one of the most widely growing diseases in the United States today.

2. To Look Great
Exercise firms your body, improves posture and even makes your skin glow. Looking your best is a wonderful result of regular exercise.

3. To Lose Weight and Keep It Off
Exercise burns fat and prevents future fat storage. If you want to have a thinner, healthier body, exercise is the answer.

4. To Have More Energy
Anyone who exercises regularly will tell you that they are more energetic, less easily upset and are more peaceful.

5. To Sleep Better
Exercise boosts energy levels, but also wears you out. It makes you feel more alive during the day and sleep like a baby at night.

6. To Age Slower
Exercise is one of the most effective ways to fight aging. When you age your body loses muscle and bone, the loss of both is drastically reduced with regular exercise. Exercise also helps reduce inflammation.

7. To Ease Depression
Exercise has been proven to reduce depression – sometimes even as effectively as prescription drugs. Just chalk this up as yet another amazing benefit to exercise.

8. To Stay Mentally Sharp
Not only is exercise smart for your heart and weight, but it can make you smarter and better at what you do. Exercise has been shown to improve memory and other cognitive functions, and seems to have a protective effect against Dementia. John J. Ratey, MD, an associate professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School and author of A User's Guide to the Brain says "exercise is really for the brain, not the body. It affects mood, vitality, alertness, and feelings of well-being."

9. To Reduce Sick Days
People who exercise regularly are 50% less likely to call in sick to work. A regular exercise program reduces colds and upper respiratory infections.

10. To Boost Confidence
Being fit, feeling healthy and having energy are all building blocks to having great confidence. There is no better confidence booster than sticking with a regular exercise program.

Here's an Inexpensive Way to Improve Your Speed

Every athlete wants to get quicker and faster. The difference in being faster than your opponent can make a difference in a big game.

I'm going to show you a simple and inexpensive exercise that will improve your first step and at the same time will improve your speed and quickness.

The exercise that I'm talking about that will add speed and quickness to your tools is jumping rope.

The benefits of this simple but yet complex training technique ranks as also an ideal brain exercise, bone builder, and as one of the most efficient ways of improving cardiovascular fitness in as little as ten minutes.

According to research jump rope for a minimum of five minutes a day can improve your foot speed and when you build to ten minutes of nonstop jumping at 120 RPMs it can provide the same benefits as 30 minutes of jogging!

Simple grab a jump rope and do the following:

1. Start with the jump rope in each hand.
2. Jump off the ground and start swinging the jump rope under your feet.
3.Continue jumping up and down as you bring the jump rope under your feet.
4.Continue for the prescribed number of 500 jumps or for 5 minutes.

Improve Your Speed By Running Down Hill

A great way to improve your speed on the athletic field is to run hills downhill. That's right running downhill instead of uphill. A lot of great athlete's such as Walter Payton and Jerry Rice improve their speed and leg strength by incorporate hill training in their workouts.

Running down Hills has many benefits:

Helps develop power and leg strength
Improves stride frequency and length
Develops co-ordination
Good for muscle memory by allowing your legs to move faster
Encourages the proper running form by using your arm action during the driving phase
Develops control as well as improved speed
Promotes strength endurance
Develops maximum speed and strength
Improves your time in the 60 yard dash

Here's a hill training routine:

1. Find a hill with a slope of approx 15° decline and a length of 60 yards
2. Running down the hill to build up to full speed and then maintain the speed for a further 30 yards
3. Recovery walk back up
4. Start with 2 sets of 4 repetitions ( a total of 8 times) and gradually increase over time

Do this routine twice a week and soon you will find yourself improving your speed.