Lets try to increase your stamina...

Whether you are a sport person, athlete or a mum l am sure we would all like to do more "work" without getting tired. Every person has a different capacity of their body to do some particular physical work and this is known as stamina. Today we will discuss some ways and exercises in order to increase your stamina. You should implement some activity in your daily routine to balance and increase your stamina.

Some daily activities to increase stamina:

• If you are overweight and out of shape, you will need to lose weight as you shape up. Over the age of 40? If you select activities you enjoy, you will increase your chances of sticking with them long enough to get in shape and feel good.
• Irritability and depression are often the first signs of fatigue.
• Do lots of physical activity of your choice. Ride a bike, go skating, fly a kite, throw a frisbee, kick a ball or walk the dog.

Play some sport like football, basketball, tennis, hockey, soccer or any other group sport. Or take up dancing, go roller blading, skating, skiing, bowling or swimming. Do whatever you enjoy the most. Daily workout. A simple brisk walk will also help. Walking 1 kilometre burns up the same number of calories as running 1 kilometre. Start your program slowly every time and gradually pick up the pace. Do some stretches before a run or strenuous activity. As you complete your activity session, cool down your muscles by slowing the pace before stopping. Even on cooler days, make sure you're protected against UV rays. Count how many hours you spend in front of the TV and try to cut down. The same goes for the computer.

• Join sports clubs or take part in community events.
• If you have an injury that does not improve, see a specialist promptly. Untreated injuries may otherwise lay you up for long periods, during which stamina and endurance slide.

• Dieting is completely a no, NO. Unless your diet does not supply adequate nutrients you are wasting your money.

• Maintain your ideal body weight, which takes into account your height and bone structure. Being significantly underweight is no more healthy than being overweight. Work with your activity level and your diet to maintain that balance.

• If you follow a vegetarian diet and lead an active lifestyle, be sure you know what you are doing. Vegetarians who don't eat dairy foods or other animal products need to use extra care to monitor their consumption of some nutrients that occur mainly or almost exclusively in animal foods. Vitamin deficiency is especially common.

Know the facts about metabolism- the rate at which you burn calories. The more muscle you carry, the higher your metabolic rate all of the time. This means you can eat more without gaining weight if you are active, better ensuring an adequate intake of necessary nutrients.

• Choose a breakfast cereal that lists whole wheat, whole grain, whole oat flour, or rolled oats among the first ingredients.

• Consume small portions of low-fat dairy products; eat dairy products with meals or snacks; try yogurt with active cultures.

• For every pound you lose to sweat during a workout, you need to drink 16 ounces of fluids or you will become dehydrated.

• If you are lacking the energy you used to have, check your diet for "fat overload," one cause not only of too much poundage but of lethargy. Frequent offenders: salad dressing, red meat, fried foods, ice cream, pastries, mayonnaise, whole milk.

Fiber, both soluble (oats, fruits, legumes, veggies) and insoluble (wheat bran, whole grains), are important for health. Music is a great motivator. Playing music regularly or occasionally will help you avoid getting stale. Increased effort builds stamina. On the job, long stretches of sitting can weaken stomach and back muscles. Try clasping hands behind head and pulling elbows back gently. Hands clasped overhead, bend left, then right from waist. Get up and move around frequently.

Simple home based exercises to increase stamina:

Skipping: Start small. Skip daily for as long as you feel comfortable. Each week try to increase the duration a little. This can have a good effect on increasing your stamina.

Running on the Spot: Run on the spot for a set period of time, like 2 minutes to start with. Later, as days pass by you can increase it to maybe 5 minutes etc.

Swimming: Everybody must be aware of the good effects of swimming. It is a very good exercise. If you make a habit to swim at least 30 minutes everyday it can do wonders for your stamina.

Cycling: This is another very good exercise for increasing stamina. All the above mentioned exercises not only improve our stamina, they come with a wide range of other health benefits too.

Balance Exercise: Hold on to the back of a chair or table for support.

1. Lift one foot off the ground and try to hold it up without losing balance.
2. When you feel confident that you can balance without using your support, let go and try to balance without the support. If you lose your balance then use the support to steady yourself.
3. Build up on the amount of time you can balance for until you are happy to balance without the help of the support.

Cardiovascular exercise: To improve your stamina you need to undertake cardiovascular exercise.

• Swimming
• Power walking / treadmill
• Spend a few minutes climbing up and down the stairs.
• Cycling
• Skipping / Jump roping
• Jogging or brisk walk.
• Aerobics

Overload is necessary to improve stamina, but don't overdo it. Rest is as important for improving stamina as any workout. The results of over training are almost always bad, and they set you back. Increasing your stamina will help you complete your every day tasks more easily, and ensure that you have raised energy levels and feel fitter.

(Sources: actnowbc.ca, ezinearticles.com, hintsandthings.co.uk, findarticles.com)