LibGuides: Health and Wellness: Fitness

Introduction

Physical fitness is a state of health. It's being able to perform physical activities like sports, exercise, and other athletic activities. It's also being able to go about your daily activities of going to school or work, do chores around your home, or walk and climb stairs.

Physical fitness levels can vary greatly, but peak physical fitness is generally achieved with moderate to vigorous exercise, good nutrition, and proper rest. Exercise can be cardiovascular exercise like aerobics, weight training, plyometrics, martial arts, and flexibility exercises like yoga. Team or individual sports are a great way to stay in shape. Even walking is great daily exercise.

Websites on Physical Fitness

PopSugar
Pop Sugar is a popular fitness and beauty blog that offers just about anything you could want in a health blog. On the website you will find lots of workouts broken down with great written instructions and pictures. On the Pop Sugar Fitness Youtube channel you can enjoy a great range of quick workouts led by some fitness industry superstars.
12 Minute Athlete
This website and its companion mobile app provide a bevy of very short bodyweight and equipment-minimal workouts that can be done outside of a traditional gym setting.
TravelStrong
This website is devoted to staying in shape while you travel.

Fitness YouTube Channels

the Body Project
The Body Project specializes in high-intensity fat-burning workouts that can be done from home. Their workouts have some creative moves that are fun and effective.
eHow Fitness
The eHowFitness YouTube channel provides specific workout ideas and health tips from leading fitness experts and popular celebrity trainers. Videos provided here focus on weight loss, breathing exercises, water workouts, stretching exercises and even workouts for kids.
XHIT
XHIT has an impressive library of video workouts that are free to use on their Youtube Channel. Their followers, called "X-hitters," enjoy the efficiency of their workouts (always under 20 minutes), as well as their exercise-specific instructional videos that teach just one or two moves in greater detail.

Types of Exercise

The Four Types of Physical Activity
Learn the importance of including a variety of exercises including cardiovascular, resistance, and strength training as well as exercises that strengthen your core to ensure your entire body gets the attention it needs.

Online Workouts

Fitness Blender
Here you will find fat-burning workouts, kickboxing routines, total body strength training, workouts for boosting metabolism, stretching sequences, and more.
Spark People
Spark People shares short videos for all different types of workouts. There are several categories -- Abs, Cardio, Yoga and Pilates, as well as others that diver into healthy cooking and eating ideas. These workouts are great when you are pinched for time.
Do You Yoga
Do You Yoga offers amazing yoga video "challenges" for everybody. Providing a little more structure via their courses (a number of which are completely free), Do You Yoga can help you create a habit of daily yoga.