Fitness program: 5 Steps To Get Started

Are you thinking about starting a fitness program? Good for you! You're only five steps away from a healthier lifestyle.

Starting a fitness program may be one of the best things you can do for your health. Physical activity can reduce your risk of chronic disease, improve your balance and coordination, help you lose weight — even improve your sleep habits and self-esteem. And there's more good news. You can do it in just five steps.

1. Assess your fitness level

You probably have some idea of how fit you are. But assessing and recording baseline fitness scores can give you benchmarks against which to measure your progress. To assess your aerobic and muscular fitness, flexibility and body composition, consider recording:

• Your pulse rate before and after you walk 1 mile (1.6 kilometers)
• How long it takes to walk 1 mile (1.6 kilometers)
• How many pushups you can do at a time
• How far you can reach forward while seated on the floor with your legs in front of you
• Your waist circumference as measured around your bare abdomen just above your hipbone
• Your body mass index

2. Design your fitness program

It's easy to say that you'll exercise every day. But you'll need a plan. As you design your fitness program, keep these points in mind:

• Consider your fitness goals. Are you starting a fitness program to help lose weight? Or do you have another motivation, such as preparing for a marathon? Having clear goals can help you gauge your progress.
• Create a balanced routine. Most adults should aim for at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity — or 75 minutes of vigorous aerobic activity — a week. Adults also need two or more days of strength training a week.
• Go at your own pace. If you're just beginning to exercise, start cautiously and progress slowly. If you have an injury or a medical condition, consult your doctor or a physical therapist for help designing a fitness program that gradually improves your range of motion, strength and endurance.
• Build activity into your daily routine. Finding time to exercise can be a challenge. To make it easier, schedule time to exercise as you would any other appointment. Plan to watch your favorite show while walking on the treadmill, or read while riding a stationary bike.
• Plan to include different activities. Different activities (cross-training) can keep exercise boredom at bay. Cross-training also reduces your chances of injuring or overusing one specific muscle or joint. Plan to alternate among activities that emphasize different parts of your body, such as walking, swimming and strength training.
• Allow time for recovery. Many people start exercising with frenzied zeal — working out too long or too intensely — and give up when their muscles and joints become sore or injured. Plan time between sessions for your body to rest and recover.
• Put it on paper. A written plan may encourage you to stay on track.

3. Assemble your equipment

You'll probably start with athletic shoes. Be sure to pick shoes designed for the activity you have in mind.

If you're planning to invest in exercise equipment, choose something that's practical, enjoyable and easy to use. You may want to try out certain types of equipment at a fitness center before investing in your own equipment.

4. Get started

Now you're ready for action. As you begin your fitness program, keep these tips in mind:

• Start slowly and build up gradually. Give yourself plenty of time to warm up and cool down with easy walking or gentle stretching. Then speed up to a pace you can continue for five to 10 minutes without getting overly tired. As your stamina improves, gradually increase the amount of time you exercise. Work your way up to 30 to 60 minutes of exercise most days of the week.
• Break things up if you have to. You don't have to do all your exercise at one time. Shorter but more-frequent sessions have aerobic benefits, too. Fifteen minutes of exercise a couple of times a day may fit into your schedule better than a single 30-minute session.
• Be creative. Maybe your workout routine includes various activities, such as walking, bicycling or rowing. But don't stop there. Take a weekend hike with your family or spend an evening ballroom dancing.
• Listen to your body. If you feel pain, shortness of breath, dizziness or nausea, take a break. You may be pushing yourself too hard.
• Be flexible. If you're not feeling good, give yourself permission to take a day or two off.

5. Monitor your progress

Retake your personal fitness assessment six weeks after you start your program and then again every three to six months. You may notice that you need to increase the amount of time you exercise in order to continue improving. Or you may be pleasantly surprised to find that you're exercising just the right amount to meet your fitness goals.

If you lose motivation, set new goals or try a new activity. Exercising with a friend or taking a class at a fitness center may help, too.

Starting an exercise program is an important decision. But it doesn't have to be an overwhelming one. By planning carefully and pacing yourself, you can establish a healthy habit that lasts a lifetime.

Gigi Hadid Flaunts Massive Cleavage On Giambattista Valli Runway At PFW

Gigi Hadid killed it on yet another runway at Paris Fashion Week, and this time it was for Giambattista Valli. She looked so naturally stunning in this yellow dress while showing off massive cleavage. What do you think of her runway look?

Gigi Hadid, 20, looked absolutely flawless at the Giambattista Valli show during Paris Fashion Week Womenswear Spring/Summer 2016 on Oct. 5. She looked so naturally pretty on the runway with not a drop of makeup on while she rocked a sheer dress that showed major cleavage. What did you think of her runway look?

This runway show just proves how effortlessly beautiful Gigi is. She strutted her stuff on the runway with no makeup on, and her hair naturally wavy. She donned a stunning gown with a black spaghetti strap, scalloped bra top with floral embroidered cups. Around her waist was a diamond embellished bedazzled belt. The rest of the dress just consisted of flowy sheer yellow fabric that showed off her white high-waisted underwear underneath.

Her cleavage was insane in this dress, proving that she is a model with curves, which she backed herself up about on Instagram.

Paris Fashion week has been the best fashion week thus far for Gigi. We have been loving all of her sexy and natural looks. Aside from this yellow maxi dress, our fave PFW look was her nude Balmain dress with the lace-up bodice. Is it just us, or has Gigi been flaunting her cleavage in any way that she possibly can?

Caleb Logan: YouTube Star Tragically Dies At 13 Years Old

So sad. Caleb Logan, a YouTube star known for his part on popular family channel Bratayley, passed away at the young age of 13. Read his family’s touching tribute below.

A young YouTube star named Caleb Logan sadly passed away on Oct. 1 at just 13 years old. YouTube fans got to know and love Caleb from the family channel Bratayley, in which he starred with his two sisters Annie and Hayley. Our hearts go out to the Bratayley family after such a heartbreaking loss.

Caleb’s family used social media to spread word of his passing, posting an adorable picture of Caleb and his sister Hayley that shows what a loving boy he was. The caption mentioned that he passed away of natural causes and included a sweet message.

“This has come as a shock to all of us. Words cannot describe how much we will miss him. His incredibly funny, loving and wonderful spirit made us all fall in love with him as a YouTuber, friend, brother and son. We know you tune in to watch each day and eagerly anticipate new videos, but ask that you bear with us while we deal with this tragedy as a family. Please help us honor our, baked potato,” the family wrote.

The Bratayleys are known for their YouTube channel which documents their life as a family, so they made sure to pay tribute to Caleb in the best way they know how — through video. They put together a touching 21-minute montage of some highlights of Caleb’s short life.

The day before Caleb passed, the family took one of their daily videos, which they posted on Oct. 3. Along with that video, they shared another message with fans. “In addition to our desire to give the Internet community the chance to begin the grieving process, we also wanted to post this video to show a healthy and happy Caleb doing what he loved. Thank you for all the love and support that everyone has shown our family. And we ask for continued love and support as we move through the grieving process.”

‘KUWTK’ Recap: Kris Jenner Tells Khloe Kardashian She Still Texts Lamar Odom

We all know Khloe Kardashian still stays in touch with her ex, Lamar Odom but we had no idea her mother was secretly texting him and neither did Khloe! Do you think Kris is totally wrong for doing this?

It’s no surprise Khloe Kardashian, 31, can’t move on from Lamar Odom,35, because neither can her own mom! During the Oct. 4 episode of KUWTK, Kris Jenner, 59, shockingly tells Khloe andKim Kardashian,34,that she’s been texting with Khloe’s estranged husband because she’s trying to be “supportive.” What does that even mean?!

“I spoke to Lamar, I didn’t exactly speak with him … I text with him,” Kris tells Kim and Khloe over dinner. “Why is it weird? I’ve always just been very supportive. I’m not promoting [them getting back together] it but I feel her heart … I don’t think it’s for us to judge her heart.” Basically, Kris is telling Kim to stop getting so annoyed with Khloe for continuing to stay in touch with Lamar and if Khloe is going to keep the lines of communication open then so is she!  “I married him thinking I would always be married to him,” Khloe then says. “And I will always love him.”

Meanwhile, Khloe speaks to Lamar during the episode when his good friendJamie Sangouthai dies of a drug overdose. “Lamar has experienced so much loss in his life,” Khloe says. “I’m always going to be there for Lamar, especially when something so tragic happens.

I’m really on high alert for Lamar because anything will set him to spiral and that’s kind of the last thing I want for him.”Jamie died in June 2015 from necrotizing fasciitis from his heroin addiction.

Kardashians & Jenners Stun On ‘Cosmopolitan’ Cover As ‘America’s First Family’

Talk about white hot! The Kardashian and Jenner girls are the cover stars for the November issue of ‘Cosmopolitan’ magazine, and they are looking fiercer than ever. See the amazing pic above!

When Cosmopolitan magazine announced that Kim, Khloe, and Kourtney Kardashian, along with Kylie, Kendall, and Kris Jenner would all be on the cover of its November issue, fans couldn’t wait to see the outcome. Well, it’s finally here — and it’s even more stunning than we ever expected! In fact, they all look so good, the mag even deemed them “America’s First Family”!

Sure, the Kardashian and Jenner girls have all had their chance at gracing the cover of a magazine, but putting them all on one seems practically impossible, right? Wrong! Each dressed in a bright white Oxford shirt (and no pants!), the powerhouse family blew us away with their combined beauty!

A clip from Keeping Up With The Kardashians showed some behind the scenes footage of the amazing Kardashian/Jenner photoshoot, proving that they’re all naturals at being cover stars. AsCosmo‘s editor-in-chief Joanna Coles points out in the clip, once you get all the Kardashian and Jenner girls in one place, you can really see the resemblance as well as their beauty — we couldn’t agree more!

As if their cover isn’t incredible enough, the girls actually posed for a full 16-page spread! The magazine is celebrating it’s 50th anniversary, so what better way to do it than with a ton of amazing Kardashian and Jenner pics?

While the cover turned out beautifully, this actually isn’t the first time Kim, Khloe, Kourtney, Kylie, Kendall, and Kris have been on a cover together — they were all on the front of The Hollywood Reporter in 2011. But for their first collective cover shot in four years, we have to say, nothing could compare to the glam factor of this one! We can’t wait to see more!

Amber Rose & Wiz Khalifa Reunite After She Publicly Forgives Him: Back Together? — Pic

Back together? Just two days after Amber Rose cried during her SlutWalk event in Los Angeles telling the crowd how much her ex, Wiz Khalifa, had hurt her, the 31-year-old model shared a snap of them cuddling up together! Could the parents of Sebastian be rekindling their romance?

Amber Rose is one strong lady! The model has always worn her emotions on her sleeve, and now is no different. We told you about her empowering speech on Saturday, Oct. 3, where she actually started crying over Wiz Khalifa, the father of her son, Sebastian — but it sounds like all of that is definitely behind them. The couple, who were married for a year until she filed for divorce in September 2014, posed for an adorable pic together in the wee hours of Oct. 5, with the caption, “Still ballin'” — and of course, the emoji with the heart eyes.

Still Ballin 😍

A photo posted by Amber Rose (@amberrose) on Oct 5, 2015 at 12:23am PDT

At Amber’s SlutWalk event, she talked all about her famous rapper ex.

“He came out with that song and that really hurt me because all I did was ever love him. I just loved him so much and gave him a beautiful son and to be told that I was nothing but a stripper, um, it hurt,” she said about him before, adding that she does forgive him. “Wiz actually apologized to me already, so I have forgiven him. I suggest that you guys do the same and I’ll tell you why. Because you can’t…they’re ignorant at times, people are ignorant and you have to be the bigger person and be the positive person to forgive and move on and help other people around you that have been through the same thing.”

Amber has also publicly taken to Instagram before to rave over Wiz, 28, and how much she’d love to make it work. On April 2, she took to Instagram to write a long post about Wiz, admitting that her “heart beats for him” and that he was her “man crush everyday.” We told you that after that the two were working on putting their relationship back together — so maybe it worked?!

Justin Bieber & Ariana Grande Uniting For Massive Tour Of The Year — Exciting Report

Get ready for the tour of a lifetime, Beliebers! Justin Bieber will not only be dropping his new album on Nov. 13, but he will also be heading on tour, according to a new report — and bringing along his friend, Ariana Grande as the special guests. Who else is ready to get in line for those tickets right now?!

What could possibly be better than Justin Bieber heading on tour again? Well, Ariana Grandejoining of course. Both Justin, 21, and Ariana, 22, reportedly want to tour together, and they hope to head to “several stadium dates” together — performing both solo songs, and duets together. Justin and Ariana performed together in April at her show in Miami, as well as during an L.A. stop on her Honeymoon Tour; they performed her song, “Love Me Harder” and his song, “As Long As You Love Me.” So, we can assume that that was just a preview of what’s to come.

 “The whole thing will hopefully end in several (U.S.) stadium dates with special guest Ariana Grande,” an insider told NYDailyNews. “This is in the very early stages but serious conversations are taking place. They would both perform their solo hits then team up together for several duets.”

Both Ariana and Justin are under Scooter Braun‘s management, and the two have been friends for years. Plus, the report also claims both camps want to make this happen, although nothing is finalized.

“There is a ton of crossover in their fan base. If it does happen, it will be the top tour of 2016, pulling in hundreds of millions for the two singers,” another source added. “It’s Justin’s tour, so he would open the show. Then they can decide what they’ll perform together and what they’ll do solo. They’d likely unite at the end of the show for a hit.”