Maintaining good physical fitness is an important part of a healthy lifestyle; keeping fit can help you live longer, look younger, and feel better. Memorizing lengthy exercise books or trying to follow complicated regimens can be daunting, but the useful pointers in this article will help you achieve and maintain fitness and better health.


If you want to bench press without injuring yourself, proper form is a must. Remember to always lie completely flat on the bench. A great way to always maintain the proper form is to leave your feet firmly planted on the ground, and always grip the bar no more than shoulder width apart. This will allow a fluid, natural motion and enable you to keep a solid form.


Prohibiting certain foods to enter the house like donuts, potato chips or sugary beverages will help you from sabotaging your fitness program. Instead, clean out your refrigerator and replace the bad foods with healthier fruits, vegetables and water. Drinking plenty of water will help stave off hunger and prevent you from over-indulging.


It is very important to align your neck when you do crunches. In order to make sure your neck is in the correct position to do sit-ups or crunches, place the tongue onto the roof of your mouth. Placing your tongue in this position will help take the strain off of your neck.


Setting goals for one to reach is an important tool to assist one in maintaining fitness levels. Depending on individuals desired goals can very from getting faster to getting stronger and all kinds of levels in between. However, the most useful thing about a goal is that it gives one something to aim for.


Periodically check for a full range of motion in your shoulders. Encourage flexibility by doing small shoulder circles and other exercises that focus on the shoulder joints and shoulder muscles. Working on your shoulders will help you perform daily activities, such as reaching and lifting heavy items, easily and comfortably.


If you want to work on toning up and gaining muscle strength, remember two key things: rest your muscles and don't overdo it. All weight workouts should be kept fairly short because after an extended period of time your body begins to create a stress response. It is also important to take time off between muscle workouts in order to allow your muscles to rest and recharge.


Take the stairs. If you use the steps instead of the elevator or escalator whenever you have the choice, you get a mini-workout. You burn 10 times as many calories when you climb the stairs as you do by just standing. Planning to take the stairs when you can means committing to a fit lifestyle.


A great fitness tip is to start performing preacher curls. Preacher curls are one of the best exercises you can do to build up your biceps. They help build up the lower portion of your biceps as well as your forearms. Good form while doing preacher curls is important.


Rest is critical to any fitness program or regimen. Ensure that you are getting the proper amount of sleep (6-8 hours per night, depending on your particular age and body type). In addition to regular, nightly sleep, you will need to build periods of rest into your exercise schedule to avoid damaging your joints, overloading your muscles and injuring yourself.


Never use a weight belt. While many trainers will tell you that they are great for everything, weight belts actually weaken your abdominal and lower back muscles. They put heavy pressure on muscles you are not working, causing your muscles to pull from areas they normally wouldn't, namely your abs and back.


If you plan on exercising longer than an hour you need to consume between 45 and 60 grams of carbohydrates per hour of exercise. This will help your body work more efficiently, as your body can only store so many carbohydrates. Once these carbohydrates have been used, you will feel physically and mentally exhausted.


If you need to save some time while working out, then try using the same weight through the whole workout. You should pick this weight based off your weakest exercise. You should pick a weight you can only lift for a maximum of eight times. Perform your workout in a circuit.


Go to the head of the class. In your favorite fitness class, don't be timid - choose a spot right in the front. It will make you work harder knowing that everyone behind you is watching you and seeing yourself working hard in the mirror will boost your sense of accomplishment.


When you go shopping for fitness shoes, try to do it as late in the day as possible. Your feet swell throughout the course of the day, regardless of what you are doing. Exercising can also make your feet swell. Later in the day your feet are closer to the size and shape they will be at the end of a workout, so fitness shoes fitted then will treat your feet better.


The most important part of any fitness program is consistency. Instead of pushing yourself and hating it once every few weeks and then going back to being sedentary, make a regular exercise program and stick to it. 20 minutes on the treadmill three times a week makes a much bigger difference than an hour once a month, and it's easier, too.


A great fitness tip to make sure that you are doing squats properly is to use a bench. Position a bench behind the area where you squat and lower yourself as if you were going to sit down. When you make contact with the bench, push yourself back up.


A great tip to build up your quad muscles is to make sure you push from your toes whenever you perform leg presses. This will further target your quads and force them to work harder. You can also target them individually by using one leg at a time on the leg press.


Beginning or staying with a physical fitness program can seem challenging, but keeping fit will help you not only to look your best, but to feel your best too. Following the fitness tips discussed above will help make it easier for you to meet your goals.