1. Longer Life. If this isn’t the most motivating factor, than I don’t know what is. Optimal health leads to a longer life, period. Work out, live longer.

2. Self Confidence. For me, this definitely deserves a place in the top ten reasons to exercise. The better you feel about yourself, the better your whole outlook on life is.

3. Decreased Stress. If you’ve ever skipped several days in a row of working out you will really see just how much exercise does for your stress level.

4. Increased Immune Health. Recent studies show that regular exercise encourages your immune system, making it easier to fight off illnesses when they attack.

5. Increased Flexibility. As you age, making exercise part of your daily plans will decrease stiff muscles and maintain your ability to reach and bend properly.

6. Better Cardiovascular Health. With cardiovascular disease at an all time high, exercise is a crucial aspect of keeping your heart and lungs functioning as they are designed to.

7. Keep Up With the Kids. There’s nothing more depressing than watching your kids grow and not being able to play with them like you’d like to. Regular exercise means a game of family softball or tag is always an option.

8. Lower Healthcare Costs. Better health equals less doctor’s visits and fewer prescription drugs. By keeping yourself fit you are keeping your bank account in shape too.

9. Improved Sleep Quality. When you regularly exercise it is easier to fall asleep and stay asleep, making you ready to go when the alarm goes off in the morning.

10. Appearance. While some people might put this as #1 in the top ten reasons to exercise, the fact is that if a leaner you is the only goal in your exercise maintenance, you will find it harder to stick with the program long term. While fitting into those jeans is a great feeling, don’t forget the other 9 reasons!

The top ten reasons to exercise may vary for you. Perhaps the hour of solitude you get each day when you are working out deserves a spot on the list. Whatever reasons make your top ten, remember them when you are feeling down about your workout.

If you are looking for extra reason to enjoy your fitness plan, consider shaking things up with a new DVD workout system. The Hip Hop Abs Dance Party Series is a fun and effective way to get fit. We also have the P90X Special Package for those people who are ready to step up their fitness game and get serious about looking and feeling their best.

While you can feel free to come up with your own fitness test, there are many tests available online as well. The United States Army uses what they call the Army Physical Fitness Test (APFT) to ensure their soldiers are maintaining a basic level of fitness. This particular test includes sit-ups, push-ups, and a 2 mile run.

Soldiers must get at least a score of 60 on each to pass.The APFT allows for men and women to do as many push-ups as possible in a 2 minute time. A man, aged 27 to 31 must get at least 19 push-ups while a woman of the same age needs to get 17. For sit ups, both men and women need to get 45 for a minimal passing score. Women get 20 minutes and 30 seconds to finish their 2 mile run and men get 17 minutes.

Keep in mind, this is a minimal passing score. The U.S. Army would like people to do better than the minimum. Additional scores can be found online. See how you measure up.

Depending on your fitness goals, you may want to add some additional steps to your test. Check out the fitness test in your P90X Fitness Guide for some ideas or simply use that test as your monthly gauge of progress.

Watch over time how the numbers on your fitness tests change. You will be able to see your hard work pay off if you keep track of the results over the long run. Fitness is hard work but it can also be fun. This is just one way to mix it up and have a little incentive to working out.

Workout music is essential for some people. The energy simply isn’t there without it. Others can take it or leave it but for those who like to rock out while they workout, the right music is crucial. If you’ve ever been to a class or done an at home workout where the music didn’t fit, you know how bad music or bad choreography can totally screw up your workout. Top 40 workout music might not always have your favorites, but it does ensure something new each week.

When loading up your MP3 player, check online for good ideas when it comes to your playlist. Sites like Marie Claire feature several playlists that are updated to include Top 40 workout music on a fairly consistent basis. You can always just check the Billboard charts for other good ideas.

If finding a workout DVD program that already has hot jams is your goal, be sure to check out the Hip Hop Abs section of our site. There you will find several dance inspired workout programs that meld good music with workout choreography that will both get you fit and keep you motivated.

Top 40 workout music is about finding new songs for your playlist on a regular basis. If you have hit repeat on your workout DVD too many times, consider muting it and turning on your own music. Don’t be afraid to mix things up. Keeping fitness fun helps to keep it effective!

If you typically enjoy outdoor workouts, this time of year can be particularly hard. Finding an at home workout that can deliver the same rigorous intensity isn’t as difficult as you might imagine. There are many workout programs designed to completely transform even an already fit body. Think you’re at your physical peak? You may think again after you try P90X or even P90X Plus.

The key to keeping motivation high during the cold winter season is varying your workouts. Don’t try to do the same tired workout day after day. By day 7 you won’t be in it, you’ll simply by shuffling your feet along with the music. Choose a winter workout program that features several different options. You don’t want to get bored while working out as boredom will immediately hurt your motivation and your determination to succeed.

Just because it’s cold outside and you don’t want to get out in it isn’t a good reason for you to let the hard workouts you do over the other 9 months to go to waste. Use this as an opportunity to expand your fitness routine. While walking, running, biking, and other outdoor activities are excellent workouts, if that’s all you’re accustomed to, our body is likely craving some variety.

For additional motivating changes during your winter workouts, consider working out with a friend, spouse, or partner. Put on your own favorite music and turn down the sound on a workout DVD once you have gotten used to the dialogue. Step outside for a breath of fresh air and immediate chill when you need a blast of energy. Most of all, keep the energy high to ensure your winter workouts don’t suffer.

We add to this blog a minimum of 7 times a week. That’s a post every single day. Even weekends. We know your fitness goals don’t stop on the weekends and we do our best to provide consistency that you can count on.

One of the problems of taking your fitness home with you is the lack of accountability. When you are into home fitness, no one knows if you skip a workout. Home fitness routines require a high level of discipline because, let’s face it, your couch is right there! It would be very easy to not take a home fitness routine seriously.

But, when you don’t live up to your goals, even if no one knows, you know, and that knowledge can make it harder to pick back up and make fitness commitments in the future.

Having several sources of support for your home fitness workouts is crucial. Tell people about your goals! Join a message board or online community to talk with people like you. Subscribing to blogs you like is another great way to ensure you are getting daily motivation.

While the majority of our blog posts are related to the programs we sell here, not all of them are. General fitness is as important to us as it is to you. We blog about what we sell because we stand behind these high quality products. However, we also recognize that our customers have questions about things not related to our products.

Here at the Extreme Body Workout blog, we want to address all of your fitness concerns and help you reach your goals. Come here for some of the best fitness advice and motivational posts no matter what program you are working with.

If P90X is your workout of choice and you are looking for a way to get remotivated, consider simply watching one of the infomercials from Beach Body. These infomercials are designed to sell the product and they may have had something to do with your decision to purchase P90X in the first place. If this is the case, then watching them again can serve to get some of that initial excitement back once again.

Also, take a look at the many P90X blogs online. User reviews and transformation stories can always do a good job of piquing your interest in the program again. Before and after photos as well as videos of progress can serve as a great reminder of why you started P90X in the first place.

To get remotivated for P90X, consider setting yourself up with some incentives. Been eyeing the PowerStands for a while? Promise yourself you’ll get them after you get through 30 days. Or think about a new outfit in a smaller size as a reward for your hard work. Call it bribery if you wish but the end results are extremely positive.

While being motivated to work out is good, try and remember that motivation is optional. The greatest athletes work out even when they are far from motivated. The key difference between a dedicated fitness enthusiast and anyone else is their realization that working out requires more consistent dedication than it does motivation.

Keep it safe. In embarking on a new fitness plan it is important to know how to exercise safely. People often get swept up in the excitement and push too hard too soon. Remember, a high powered body takes time to develop. If you start to fast, lift to heavy, or work too hard in the beginning you could end up with an injury that takes you out for months. Take it easy, take your time and always listen to your body.

Keep it productive. Having pointed out the necessity of working out safely, we have to say a word about working out productively. You can’t be so afraid of hard work that your workouts are unproductive. There must be a balance between working out safely and working out hard enough for results. How to exercise within this balance really shouldn’t take too long to discover. Some exercise is uncomfortable; if you’re working hard it should be. However, working out should never be painful.

Keep it consistent. It’s a fact: most people don’t succeed at New Years Resolutions. Although their hearts are in the right place, they often go into the situation with the enthusiasm of a child at Christmas and that energy quickly wears off. Remember, this will be hard. Developing a lifestyle habit takes time and dedication. Keep your workouts consistent and do them regardless of your mood, schedule, or feelings of lethargy.

Learning how to exercise isn’t nearly as important as actually doing it. Get the information but make sure your energy goes towards using the information in the most productive ways. Find a high quality workout program and a source of support and fitness tips. Sign up for newsletters and subscribe to your favorite fitness magazines. But most of all just get out and make your goals happen!

You don’t want to have to make the same New Year’s Resolution going in to 2011.

This time of year seems to be all about indulgence and gluttony. From the food to the spending, more seems to be better. It is possible to get too much of a good thing, however. And if you are considering that plate of Christmas cookies for dinner, you know exactly what I am talking about.

Many of us shrug off diet and exercise around this time of year because we are busy, we are stressed, and there is food everywhere. But, the fact is, this is the precise time when you should be trying harder to stay fit. Truthfully, if you can stick to your diet and exercise plans during this time of year, you can pretty much do it whenever.

Why is physical fitness so important during the holidays? Well, aside from the fact that you want a gumdrop bar for desert and a heaping help of steaming mashed potatoes and gravy with your dinner, stress is at an all time high this time of year. Working out isn’t only giving you a little wiggle room on your Christmas diet, it’s also burning off some of that tension you are carrying around. Whether it’s the spending or the house full of guests, staying fit can keep your stress level manageable.

So, when you are caught slipping and thinking you could take a few weeks off this year, think again. The answer to “why is physical fitness so important during the holidays?” can be found in every cookie tin, gravy boat, and stress headache. Maintaining some semblance of normalcy in your workout program will keep you feeling and looking better this holiday season.

You can’t make someone else care about their body and your motivation to be healthy won’t necessarily be contagious to the other people of your household. It is in situations like this that you must remain steadfast and dedicated to your healthy eating and fitness goals.

Anytime you try to make a change in your life for the better, it likely seems that things pop up to keep you from reaching your goals. While this is a strange coincidence many of us face, it isn’t a reason to give up. Instead, such situations should be used as motivation. See them as a test against your healthy eating and fitness goals. When you can overcome odds like this to succeed you will find your confidence going through the roof!

Healthy eating for one in a household of two or more can be difficult but is far from impossible. If you are the cook of the house simply tell the others things are going to change. In the case of other adults, they may no longer want to eat your health food. If so, let them prepare their own meals. In the case of children, tweaking your recipes slightly can keep your kids eating healthy without pushing them away from nutritious foods.

When committing to healthy eating you are automatically putting your health needs first, and that’s the way it should be. No one else but you will make your health needs a priority. Don’t allow people at home or the office to sway you, instead seek out people that will support your healthy eating changes and perhaps even share in your goals.

When you are on a quest to get fit and change your body for the better, you need all the help you can get. Finding informational and inspirational blogs like this one can increase your chances of success as you have one more resource of support.

P90X is an extreme fitness system. Fitness regimens, in general, can be difficult to stay with, particularly if fitness isn’t currently a daily aspect of your life. A program like P90X, that offers hard work with tremendous results can be difficult to stick with as well. Free P90X advice can be just one more tool to add to your toolbox of motivation.

The more support you have when beginning a challenging program like P90X, the better. Free P90X tips can make a difference in your knowledge of the system and your excitement in the program. While motivation certainly isn’t required for fitness, it does many things a whole lot easier.

We can’t give you free P90X accessories but we can deliver the best free P90X articles and answers we have. We know you want to know everything there is to know about this great program. We do our best to make sure you have what you need when beginning the P90X or any of our other programs.

When people ask a question like why is eating healthy important, they are likely looking for more than a textbook answer. Many times when we dance between trying to be healthy and slipping back into unhealthy habits, we look for justification. We play games with our minds and hope maybe we will discover that we don’t have to eat healthy or maybe we will find a recent scientific study stating that pizza is the new superfood.

Newsflash: it’s not going to happen. Eating healthy is important for weight management, disease prevention, and long life. In order to look good and feel good, we have to give our bodies the right fuel. So, why is eating healthy important?

It’s important for all of the reasons you have ever learned it is. You have to eat healthy to grow big and strong! You have to eat healthy to fight off disease and infection. You have got to give your body good fuel if you expect good performance from it. Eating healthy is important if you want to fit in your clothes, look good in a bathing suit, and simply feel comfortable in your own skin.

If someone were to ask me “why is eating healthy important?” my first reaction would be to wonder what their true motivations were. You don’t need to be a doctor to realize that eating healthy feels better. You don’t have to be a fitness whiz to know that it is important for a multitude of reasons and if you are searching the web for “why is eating healthy important?” just know that your mother was right and please eat your vegetables.

In the beginning there is motivation. You have your eyes on a pair of jeans in your closet or a bikini you bought last year. Whatever the motivation is, it’s much more likely to be present when you start your home workout routine. The problem with motivation is: it isn’t constant. Motivation will come and go and basing your workouts on motivation is a certain recipe for disaster.

Instead, committing to your home workout routine and working out because of dedication to that commitment can help ensure your success on the program. When you really commit to something, it is harder to allow it to fade away. Commitment requires much more dedication than a fleeting affair with motivation.

You can often find motivation in dedication. When you truly make up your mind to see something through, it can be motivating. However, on days when the motivation isn’t there, dedication needs to be present to carry you through. Don’t give yourself an option to workout, make it a necessity, a daily requirement. More than likely you will find that you will never regret a workout after the fact. However, if you give into temptation and skip a home workout routine, there is no doubt that you will likely regret your inaction.

Subscribe to fitness magazines. If you like to read magazines, this is a great way to learn about your fitness journey and keep your mind on getting fit. A monthly magazine that you enjoy packed with fitness tips and good health news can be a great way to stay in the zone. Plus, it makes it hard to fall off the fitness wagon when you have the literature of a fitness buff in your living room.

Use sticky notes. Short fitness tips posted around the house are another excellent motivator. “Are you really hungry?” is a great one for the frig. Try putting a “Talk a walk” note on your closet door or a “Can you walk there” where you hang your car keys. These little notes only take a second but can be that little voice in your head when the real little voice isn’t paying attention.

Use technology. Some of us are in front of the computer all day long. Use the first 10 minutes when you get to the officer or right before your lunch break to catch up on your favorite fitness blogs and website. Again, these provide a great source of information and can simply remind you what you are working toward. Also, use a motivating screen saver.

Peruse the literature you already have around the house for great fitness tips and use them! Workout systems like P90X come with a fitness guide chocked full of information. Hip Hop Abs has a great resource “Results on the Run”. This booklet of fitness tips is a great piece of information to keep in your car or pocketbook.

Keep fitness tips around you at all times. By immersing yourself in a healthy lifestyle, you are more likely to adjust to that lifestyle and continue living it.

There are hundreds of sources for good fitness tips on the web. When deciding who to trust with your fitness tips, consider the source. If you like a certain blog on a site selling popular workout programs (ah-hem), chances are the website will provide quality tips relating to their products but also to general health subjects as well.

Personal blogs can also be a great source of tips too, however. Some of the most motivational pieces on the web are from people who struggle with their own weight and work on a daily basis to keep it off and stay healthy. These people know your situation and it is easy to identify with them. Their fitness tips can come in the form of how they overcome cravings or lack of motivation.

Simply reading about fitness advances and new articles can also be a great motivation. Chances are your favorite fitness magazine has an official website. And more than likely, that website contains articles, discussion boards, and even recipes. Fitness tips are everywhere you turn on sites like this.

Use fitness tips to your advantage. Find one or several sources that you like and bookmark them. Check them out in the morning while you drink your coffee or over your lunch break. Allowing your personal time to become an opportunity for motivation will help you stick with the program and continue to see great results.

One of the problems with motivation is that many people don’t act until they get it. Motivation isn’t required for any workouts but particularly for home workout regimens. Motivation is a definite bonus, but as you get fit and accustomed to working out you will find that sometimes your best workouts come on days when you initially didn’t feel like getting off your butt!

When you truly dedicate yourself to home workout regimens, motivation doesn’t matter. You must workout regardless of your level of motivation. What really matters is your level of dedication.

Being truly dedicated to your health and fitness is evident when you work out regardless of how you are feeling. Casting aside the lack of motivation and simply doing what you should is a good indication that you are truly dedicated to home workout regimens.

If you still seek motivation, try looking at fitness sites online or turning the health channel on your television for a while. Reading a fitness magazine can also get you motivated. Home workout regimens don’t require motivation to work but I understand that somedays you might require it.

In general, we put too much emphasis on motivation. Often when we skip a workout our excuse is the lack of motivation. In order to succeed at home workout regimes, you have to cast those excuses aside. Motivation isn’t a requirement but simply a bonus in your quest for weight loss. Once this really sinks in, you won’t be so tempted to miss a workout on days when motivation is low or nonexistent.