If you have just made your New Year’s resolutions, then you probably included something to the extent of “This is the year, finally, that I get into shape”. However, have you made a plan of how you are going to get there yet? If not, then its time to get a move on it!

There are several different ways that you can go about getting into shape, including several different programs and machines, and each one has it’s own advantages and disadvantages. No matter which way you decide to go, one thing to remember is that you need to include both cardio and muscle-building types of exercises.

One way that you can accomplish both your cardio and muscle-building goals is to find a good elliptical machine for sale. Elliptical machines are great for several reasons:

1 – they are considered low-impact fitness machines. Using good elliptical machines for sale will not have the same impact on your joints and ligaments as running or even walking. In fact, running is really probably one of the worst things you can do in terms of impact on your body. Swimming, biking (both outdoors and with indoor bikes), and elliptical machines are much better for your joints, cartilage, and ligaments and still provide you with the awesome cardiovascular benefits.

2—they give you a great workout that is both cardiovascular and muscular. You get the cardio workout via the running-like motion, and this portion of the workout can be very challenging or easy—you get to set the level of difficulty. The muscular workout comes from both the leg workout and the arm workout you get from the handles that you move back and forth while you ‘run’.

Overall, if your goal is to get fit this year, then a good elliptical machine will be able to help you with that goal, and will do so with little harmful impact to your body.

Taking fitness outdoors can open up a whole new world of physical activity. Working out in the gym is obviously beneficial and can be enjoyable to many people. But sometimes, it’s a good idea to hit the road and see what lies outside of the gym walls.

Imagine a Sunday-afternoon hike through deep green woods and rolling hills. The sounds of birds and wildlife bring a normal fitness routine to life to the point that you might be able to stow away your iPod for a couple of hours. Fresh air help to aid the lungs and refresh your body. The sights you will see and experiences you will gain make this outdoor fitness activity more than just physical exercise.

A sunny day on the tennis court can be equally as exciting. This challenging game will test your hand-eye coordination, quick thinking skills, speed, and strength. Tennis also provides an opportunity to spend time with friends and family in the beautiful outdoors.

Running is a popular outdoor fitness activity and can be done year round with the proper gear. While people can run on their treadmills and reach the same mileage and time goals, there is something marvelously different about running through the streets or down a well-tread path with fresh air on your face.

There are all sorts of activities that can be done outdoors as a way to stay fit. Whether walking with the family, going for a run, biking down trails, hiking over waterfalls, pounding tennis balls on the court, kicking a soccer ball in the school’s field, or shooting hoops, it’s important to participate in outdoor fitness. It’s not only a nice change of pace from a regular indoor routine, but it’s only beneficial for the mind, heart, body, and soul. What are you waiting for? Everyone is looking for answers of how to lose weight fast.  Well, this is a great way to get started.  So get outside and get moving!

Weight loss is a simple idea and it is not a difficult concept but it can be very difficult to implement because it takes long term consistency and adherence.  Creating weight loss as a byproduct of some other activity is a great way to take your mind off of the actual weight loss and allow you to focus on something besides the scale.

I propose that you start a marathon training program to get down to your ideal weight.  Before you flinch and dismiss the idea as far to difficult or time consuming realize that if you stick to the program you are guaranteed to loose weight and do something you thought impossible and with the right program it isn’t even all that difficult.  Just like Ray Crock has a formula for the perfect hamburger made perfectly every time all across the country if you follow a simple formula you can have results as predictable as Mcdonalds.

The program consist of 3 to 4 days a week of running.  This program also assumes that you are relatively healthy and can run 5 miles.  If you meet the requirements read on.

You will start with an easy 3-5 mile run at a pace a one minute per mile slower than you plan to run the marathon.  If you don’t know this don’t worry you will be able to work this out during your program as you develop a feel for different paces.  The next day will consist of hills or sprints on alternating weeks.  If you do hills one week do sprints the next.  Vary your intensity and distance of both the hills and sprints and be sure not to overdo it.  This needs to be hard but not damagingly so.  Take the next day off, then on the 4th day of the program do another 3-5 mile run at the same pace as the other easy run.  These easy runs should be enjoyable and pain free and run at a pace that is at first difficult to keep yourself at because it feels unnaturally slow.

Skip a day and then on day 6 do your long run.  Start out with an 8 mile run and weekly increase this long run by about 10% until you reach 20 miles.  At which point you will only increase by 10% every 2 weeks, with an off week long run of half the distance.  Work up to as long as 30 miles and you will be ensured not to hit the wall during a marathon.  Do these runs at a pace :30 per mile slower than your other slow runs.  Plan on a long enjoyable day and look forward to the opportunity to get outside and enjoy your body.

These long slow runs will strip fat off of your body at an alarming rate because you are not operating at an intensity high enough to signal any type of cortisol release and you are putting your body in a fasted state because of the high calorie burn.  On these long runs eat if necessary but realize that eating can be difficult and counterproductive for fat burning.

Good luck at achieving the goal of fat loss and finishing a marathon, these tips should make both easy and achievable.