Woman weightlifting with dumbbells
Blog,  Health,  Lifestyle

It’s never too late to get fit and look fabulous

Being physically fit and healthy encompasses a lot of things. It involves how you feel, what you feel and your overall health. Physical fitness and health can’t be measured by muscles and abs alone. In fact, those are not the primary measure of health and fitness. Some of the steps are hidden but quite visible in our blood tests, pressure and even cholesterol levels.

Body Fat Distribution

Storing fat in the body is a delicate issue, and it can give us a glimpse into whether you are overweight, underweight or within a normal weight range. Some people store their weight in the waist and belly. They are called apple body shape people – they are at risk of heart diseases and diabetes than those who have a pear shaped body (store weight in their hips and thighs).

Weight and BMI

Body Mass Index, also called BMI is also essential in figuring out if you are physically healthy and fit. It is a good gauge of body fat, and it can tell us if a person has too much body fat that can present a risk to health. It categorizes people into four weight classes – normal, underweight, overweight or obese. BMI is calculated as the ratio between weight to the height.

Benefits of Getting Fit

If you think it’s too late to get fit and look gorgeous, then you might be wrong. A Swedish study found out that the number one contributor to long life for seniors was physical activity. It will make you look better, sharper, energetic and give you a greater worth of yourself.

Physical Benefits Of Getting Fit

1. Maintain or Lose Weight

As your grow, your rate of metabolism will slow gradually making it difficult to burn calories or build muscle mass. Exercise makes it possible to maintain your current weight and build body mass as you desire.

2. Impact of illness

People who are fit tend to have a stronger immune system for digestion and blood pressure. They also have a lower risk of developing diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease and diabetes. The older you get, the weaker your immune system will become, and this is why it is so important for you to work on your fitness levels.

3. Enhanced Mobility

Regular exercise improves your strength and posture which in turn reduces the incidence of falling off as you age. Flexibility exercises such as Tai-Chi and Yoga can help stretch the muscles and keep the body limber which in turn will assist the body balance and coordinate movement better.

4. Improved Sleep

As you age, all kind of sleep problems will plague you from sleep-related eating disorder to sleep apnea and even severe jet lag, when you exercise, the body will require a recovery period which allows you to fall asleep deeply and wake up feeling refreshed and energetic.

5. How Rowing Machines Help You Get Fit

Many people trying to get fit tend to focus on the basics at the beginning. These include using machines like treadmills, ellipticals or even dumb bells. Very few ever try out the rowing machine. This is often overlooked because most people are not aware of the benefits of using a rowing machine on their journey to getting fit.

Here are some benefits that you might not be aware of:

1. Aerobic Exercise

One benefit of using rowing machines is that they are a great resource for excellent aerobic workouts with varying levels of intensity. You can go as slow as you please or as hard as you desire. Aerobic exercises can help you fight off the symptoms of depression, strengthen your heart and lungs as well as help you lower your cholesterol.

2. Burn Calories without the Pain

When you’re lifting weights, you burn calories, but you also feel the burns on your muscles. With rowing machines, you can burn a lot of calories without even feeling the burn. A number of calories you burn when you row is dependent on your body type and the pace at which you row. The faster your row is, the more calories you will burn. If you weigh 155 lbs., rowing at the right intensity will allow you burn 246 calories an hours or 186 calories if you weight 180 lbs.

3. Tones Key Muscles

When used correctly, rowing machines can help you tone important muscles on your body from the shoulders to the back and core. When you push the machine with your legs, it requires the utilization of your quadriceps and calf muscles. While pulling motion will require the use of rhomboids and biceps. These primary muscles will be toned and worked on, other muscles in the body responsible for movement and support will also be worked on.

How to Row

Sit down on the rowing machine and adjust the seat, so your knees form a 90-degree angle when your feet are placed on the foot platform. Flick on the resistance knob to set the resistance against which you will row.

This is the fundamental principle behind the machine – pulling against resistance. Lean forward at the waist to grab the rowing bar with both hands. Then, push through and extend your legs while simultaneously pulling the hand bar towards your chest and then leaning back afterward. Increase the rate at which you pull and return to your starting position fluidly to improve your rowing motion.

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