We tend to think that in order to “get fit” we need to put on our trainers and Lycra and get jogging, stepping or otherwise forcing ourselves to get hot and sweaty. Some of us do genuinely enjoy these activities and have no problem incorporating them into our daily routines but so many others of us have tried and failed. If you fall into this latter category, don’t despair, there is another way.

When we stop our car engines they stop using fuel and we tend to think that our bodies are the same, that when we stop “exercising” we also stop using fuel; in our case, burning calories. This is not true! Our bodies are biological machines that never switch off. Even sitting reading a book or whilst sleeping we are still burning calories. To use the car analogy, our engine is constantly “idling” and consequently still using up “fuel” even though we are not consciously “exercising”.

How much fuel we are burning depends on our individual metabolic rate as well as how hard our bodies are working, so that whilst sitting after exertion, we are burning fuel faster than if we had been sitting down all day because once we have raised our metabolic rate, it takes a while to return to a lower rate. Lean tissue (muscle) in our bodies, uses more fuel, pound for pound, than fat tissue whilst at rest, so increasing muscle mass increases the amount of fuel we burn even whilst “idling”.

Everything we do, therefore, can be considered to be “exercise” in the sense that calories are being used up and if we think of it in these terms, exercise need not be a chore. Many of the things we do for fun such as gardening, dancing, DIY and even shopping, that we don’t usually think of as exercise, can help us to keep fit (and lose those excess pounds too).

If we think of sitting reading as our “idling state”, we burn three to four times as much fuel when gardening, decorating, or dancing, which is actually comparable to the amount of fuel we burn whilst doing “proper exercise” such as aerobics or jogging. What’s more we are more likely to perform these hobby-type activities for longer than a typical one-hour session of formal exercise; meaning more fuel burnt, metabolic rate boosted for longer and that all-important muscle mass increase (leading to a higher rate of fuel use whilst idling, remember).

Even sedentary hobbies like knitting can help control your weight by stopping boredom snacking!

So you see you don’t have to go anywhere near the Lycra if you don’t want to, to begin to lead a healthier life. “Hobby exercise “is just as good as ordinary exercise at producing endorphins, those “feel good” chemicals that boost our mood, immune system and reduce our tendency to “comfort eat”. For all these reasons you need not feel guilty about indulging your hobbies at the expense of “proper exercise”, wear what you like, look sporty if you like to put you in the mood and be proud of your chosen activity. Throw yourself into it and feel the difference!

Last year the New York Times published an article titled “I Put in 5 Miles at the Office“, covering the use of treadmills at work. Unlike many companies who have facilities to exercise on location for employees, this article features workers who have treadmills in their cubicles instead of the traditional chair and desk.

The ability to burn 100-130 calories per hour while walking at speeds slower than 3 kph is what many people need to lower their body fat, cholesterol and overall, start down the path towards a healthier lifestyle. These do of coarse take into account the need for a proper diet and continued exercise while not in the office.

For management, the ability for workers to blow off steam, either at their desk while work-walking, or in a specific room with treadmills that workers can use before work, during lunch breaks or after work has a two-fold effect. The first effect is that they are less likely to be agitated at work when they have a productive way to work off excess energy. The second effect is usually a result in lower health insurance premiums due to more in shape, healthier workers.

Workers benefit by walking and running at work directly, as they can enjoy a healthier lifestyle, but moreover, the ability to incorporate exercise time with an office treadmill means more time with their families and friends or on the golf course forming business relationships. Without the need for workers to get up an hour or more before work, or spend an hour or more after work to get their exercise in, using a treadmill at work frees up to two hours of the day to spend with family and friends.

While office treadmills won’t replace a traditional desk and chair for most people, it’s a great alternative from time to time, as is having a room dedicated to treadmills. The end results are happier, healthier employees and employers who don’t have to spend as much on rising health care costs.

Snowboarding gives your body an all over workout and is particularly good for your cardiovascular system, leading to strengthened heart muscle. Snowboarding works out many different groups of muscles building your body strength and leaving you toned all over. These include abdominal muscles, for firm abs, calf muscles and your hamstrings. Snowboarding is great for weight control burning between 250 and 650 calories an hour when boarding for fun. At competition level you could burn a massive 1250 calories an hour.

Snowboarding is also a great way to help your kids lose weight!

In order to make sure you get the best out of snowboarding you sure ensure you have warmed up before hitting the slopes. Make sure you stretch your muscles to minimise the chance of injury. If you are a beginner you should make sure an experienced instructor teaches you the basics on a bunny slope, however there are some general hints and tips you should follow.

Firstly, make sure you bend your knees, although this seems obvious many people fail to do so and consequently have less control of the board. You should aim to keep your body relaxed so it can easily absorb the impact of any bumps you may encounter. It is also very important to know how to stop, if you are facing downhill make sure you quickly apply pressure by digging your heels into the board. If you are facing uphill quickly apply pressure by digging your toes into the board.

Once you are a bit more experienced you may want to experiment by trying some snowboarding tricks. There are many to choose from, a great intermediate trick is a 360. This involves a 360 turn in the air and is visually very impressive. It is important you are comfortable with ollies before attempting this trick.

You should also be confident at 180 turns. First you should find a spot your feel comfortable with. When you come up to the jump, crouch right down and make sure your knees are bent. Then twist your body and get ready to jump. When you do hit the jump, unwind your body whilst keeping your knees bent in the air, spin the last 180 degrees.

It is important to make sure you land with your knees bent and also try to make sure you are landing on both feet. This tricks is bound to make you look impressive on the slopes. It is also important to make sure you have the right gear, to look the part and feel confident on the slopes.

It is often an idea to rent or borrow clubs, first of all to see whether you are likely to want to make the commitment to the game. If you decide that you want to invest in a set of clubs then there are several options available. Top of the range equipment can be expensive, and it is probably more sensible to try a set of clubs which are more suitable for beginners and amateurs. The basic clubs required for golf are a range of irons, ranging from a three to a nine, plus a putter. You will also need a sand or pitching wedge for the times when you don`t quite manage to hit the green.

Over time you will be able to determine more clearly what weight is correct for you, but you should be able to gauge reasonably well whether the length of the club is correct. Top name brands such as Wilson, Regal and Slazenger produce a range of equipment which is suitable for those new to the game. These are sets which you can put together yourself following advice and research.

You can however, buy a complete set from one manufacturer, such as those by Ben Sayers, Top Flite and Hippo. These sets supply you with everything you will need, and will often come complete with a golf cart to carry them in. These sets tend to have irons, wedges, putter and a driver. You may also have the option of choosing a hybrid wood club which is often referred to as a rescue club. However, the hybrid wood club is not an essential club for beginners.

For the beginner, there is also a choice to be made regarding the type of golf ball you choose. Each design has its own features. You can buy practice golf balls, which will always be useful. Made by manufacturers such as Titleist, they tend to be slightly less expensive, although there are arrange of prices available. Another option are reconditioned golf balls, or lake balls which have been recovered from lakes and water hazards.

Distance balls by manufacturers such as Titleist, Nike and Wilson are better for less experienced golfers as they produce less spin and more distance.

Golf shoes are another consideration when starting golf, and although some non golfing footwear may be suitable, in the long run a pair of good golf shoes will help you maintain grip and help your stance. Manufactured by Nike, Footjoy, Benross Golf, Adidas and Oakley among others, it is worth carrying out some good research and obtaining advice before buying.

Wii Fit is a video game – or better, a collection of video games, because there are a total of 40 activities in which players can participate – designed to combine fitness with fun. Players of any age and fitness level can create their own avatar, or on screen character – known as a “Mii” – and follow the progress of that character towards, hopefully, better health and fitness.

Wii Fit includes balance games, yoga, strength training and aerobic exercise routines, all of which work with the innovative Wii Balance Board. The Wii Balance Board is roughly the size of a set of weighing scales, but includes gyroscopic technology, so that when a player moves his, or her, weight on the board, those movements are mimicked, exactly, be his, or her, Mii. Thus, real-life movements are translated into gameplay in exactly the same way as with the standard Wii remote control. A calculation of BMI (“Body Mass Index”), along with performance is some basic fitness and balance routines, is used to calculate a “Wii Fitness Age”, and statistics, personal targets, etc. provide an incentive to carry on exercising, even after the initial novelty has worn off.

The Wii Balance Board obviously lends itself well to cardiovascular and other fitness workout routines but many other games involving skateboarding, snowboarding, and other sports, such as boxing, which take advantage of the Wii Balance Board are either already in production or in the pipeline. You can, if you wish, purchase accessories for the Wii Balance Board, such as a textured workout mat, or a rechargeable battery pack and charging cable.

Wii Fit does not, of course, replace real sports, but encourages anyone with a sedentary lifestyle to be, at least, a little more active. A study published in the British Medical Journal suggested that Wii Fit could provide health benefits, and it may be worth remembering some famous quotes on the subject of fitness, not least that from A.A. Milne, “A bear, however hard he tries, grows tubby without exercise.”

As well as the skill and technique required to play football well, ninety minutes of running around requires a lot of stamina, regardless of the position you play. It is vital, therefore, that footballers are at peak fitness and can maintain extremely strong cardiovascular stamina throughout the game. The ideal way of developing this level and type of fitness is running, which strengthens core muscle strength and cardio fitness at the same time. However, the UK weather means it is not always possible to run outdoors and in some larger cities it is difficult to find safe routes for running alone at night. The answer is a home treadmill, which will allow you to train at any time of the day or night without leaving your own home.

Owning your own home treadmill is an excellent investment for the serious sportsperson as you can go running at any time that suits your schedule, as well as cutting down on travel time to the gym and therefore maximising your workout session. You can run in front of the television or play your favourite music as you train, making your workout much more enjoyable than in a large, impersonal gym.

Getting the most out of your home treadmill requires asking yourself a few key questions before purchasing your machine. Firstly, how often you plan to use it, where in the house you will set it up and whether you will need to pack it away when not in use. Some of the best home treadmills today come with sophisticated built in displays that can provide easy to read data on distance run, calories burnt and speed. Think carefully about what information is important to you and make sure this can be monitored in the model you choose.

Some of the best quality treadmills available for home use are made by Precor and provide state-of-the-art machines for serious professionals. However, if you don`t have a large budget but still want quality you might consider a machine by Trimline, who offer reassuringly comprehensive warranties. Fold-away models are also an option for those short on space for sports equipment. These can be packed away when not in use and easily moved around your home. Shop around and ask plenty of questions before deciding on the right model for you.

Anyone interested in football is sure to have one or two favourite professional teams that they follow religiously – can you train to the level of their players?

There’s a huge range of treadmills available to suit all budgets and requirements. Some are manually powered – through the speed of your walk or run, and others are computerised and will simulate all different types of terrain. Additionally, most treadmills will measure your run or walk distance, estimate calorie burn – and some will even take your heartrate to calculate whether you are working within your optimum heart rate. Good brands include Proform, particularly for budget brands, Smooth treadmills for mid-range models and Nordic. Consider things such as number of users, regularity of use, amount of available space in the home (there are folding models available) and budget. You may wish to visit a specialist provider to find out which treadmill will suit you before investing in one – a knowledgeable sales assistant will be invaluable in helping you to reach your decision.

It’s important to wear the right clothing when using your treadmill running machine – supportive trainers and cool, comfortable sports kit. To get a good workout, aim for at least 20 minutes at a pace that keeps you breathing heavily, but still able to hold a comfortable conversation. This might mean walking to begin with, and then progressing to running. Over time you can vary your workout for better results – either by upping the incline, speed, duration or by doing interval training with different paces. You should aim to train for at least three sessions a week – building up to around five sessions weekly.

Remember too that exercise needs to be taken in conjunction with other lifestyle changes in order to achieve the best results. For this reason, you should also look at making positive changes within your diet, stress levels, sleep and cutting out unhealthy habits such as smoking, excessive drinking and use of sunbeds for example. Speak to your doctor to get advice before starting any exercise regime, and consider also consulting a nutritionist to identify which diet will help you to get the best from your new exercise regime.

How many times have you been awestruck by that 6 pack studded model on a fitness magazine cover? We all would love to have a body like that but never go beyond making that wish. Many of us dread the hard work required.

The road to achieve that is difficult but not impossible to tread. A proper weightlifting program and good guidance can do the trick. Here are some tips to get you going. If you are a beginner, take special note of these.

1) Survey your neighbourhood and find a good gym. Try to gather information about it like how long it has been operating, what kind of equipment does it have, what kind of trainers do they have. Also, try to meet people who already are members or have been members and ask their opinion and feedback.

2) Find an efficient trainer: A good trainer makes all the difference. All the equipment in the world can do no good if your trainer ends up misguiding you.

3) Know your body type. There are three basic body types: endomorph (excess fat), ectomorph (too little fat and muscle) and mesomorph (ideal body type). There are different diet regimes and suggestions for these body types. Your workout should take into consideration your body type.

4) Set up a workout plan with your trainer. Understand your body limits and chalk out a wholesome plan which caters to all parts of the body. In beginning do not overstrain or over train yourself.

5) Give yourself sufficient rest. Sleep enough, as your muscles need to relax and recover after workouts.

6) Nutrition and diet: Your diet should be rich in proteins, carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals. Avoid junk food and saturated fatty acids.

7) Breathing during workout: Breathe in when you exert force and breathe out when you release.

It’s never too late to start your training. Get into your shorts and hit the gym. With the right kind of training and exercise equipment you too can amaze others with your “new” body.

But then something happened to us (or the mankind in general). We evolved and evlolved and our lifestyles changed, and sadly for the most part, it changed for the bad. The epitome of strength and agility started slowing down as it was no longer used for what it was meant for (read, run, walk, swim, move and sweat it out).

And hence the long list of ailments, aches, sore joints … we are ourselves to blame. We let the rust and dust accumulate on our bodies.

Lets exercise, lets eat right, lets be fit and enjoy the lives with greater vigor and verve.

If you are still reading, Hello! My name is Luke, a fitness freak who is here to spread knowledge about all related aspects, meet people and discuss.

And maybe inspire some of you to hit the treadmills!