Keep a daily record of all of the diet and exercise activity you use.  You will want to take note of all of the exercise, food you eat, and drinks for the day.  You will want to even write about the weather that day and how it may have affected your activities.  You will be able to reflect on any of your motivations for the day.  If you were unable to exercise for a day or two, then write down the reason why.

You can easily improve the quality and effectiveness of shoulder presses by concentrating on only one arm at a time. Perform two or three sets of ten reps with your left arm, then switch and do the same with your right arm. Even when you are using just one arm, your brain is sending messages to stimulate the muscles in the other arm.

Stretch problem areas more than those that are already completely flexible. Proper stretching will loosen your muscles up, and prepare your body for your workout. If you do not stretch before a workout routine, it can lead to real pain and possible injury, especially if you exercise on a regular basis. You will want to take the extra time to stretch your muscles before and after an exercise and you'll start to see better results.

Stretches should be performed before you begin your exercise and afterwards to cool the muscle from intense performance. When stretching, it is best to hold a position for 15 to 30 seconds and try not to bounce during the hold. Bouncing will force the muscle to hit a tendon or body part unnecessarily and may cause injury.

Even if you sustain an injury to your right arm, don't avoid exercising your left arm. It is certainly possible that by amping up the intensity of your left arm's workout, your injured arm will actually get stronger. By working out with your uninjured arm, you are stimulating the nerve muscles of your injured arm.

It is very important to strengthen your core. A strong core, or midsection will help to build strength in your lower back and legs. Sit-ups are a very good exercise for you to do, and if done properly, and will help to build your strong core. Sit-ups can strengthen the muscles in stomach area and increase your range of motion. This will make your ab muscles work harder and longer.

Always be sure to stretch before you begin your workout.  Stretching warms up your muscles and gets your body ready for a work out.  Be sure to hold each stretch for ten to thirty seconds in order to get optimal results.  Stretching also helps prevent injury.

Keep your goals short and simple as you begin a new fitness program.  You can easily get overwhelmed if you have not exercised in a while, and you decide to overdo it on the treadmill.  When you first get started, keep your goals reasonable.  Begin by taking a walk for a few minutes every other day. You can always progress to longer and more frequent walks as you get used to walking.  Long walks are a great way to get rid of muffin top, and slim down.

When planning your exercise routine, put in resistance first and the aerobic exercise last. This is a secret for the fastest way to lose weight.  When exercising glycogen is used first and then fat is used for energy. Glycogen will be used for the energy for resistance exercises. Doing aerobic exercise next will help you to burn more fat because the stored glycogen has already been used.