Let the team at Knockout Fitness help you reach your fitness goals in 2011.  Along with our intense classes and MMA program, we also have a knowledgeable staff of personal trainers who can help tailor a specific program for you.

Here are a few tips to increase your fitness level and lose weight in the new year.

1. Track your progress.
   It is imperative to know what you have accomplished so that you will know how far you are from your goal. Monitoring the results will help you determine if you need to exert more effort or not.
2. Allow for recovery
   Allow yourself to recover from the stress that you experience everyday. Engaging in worthwhile activities will help relieve stress and promote bodybuilding fitness.
3. Stretch in the morning and at night
   Staying physically fit, healthy and injury-free relies heavily on our physical flexibility. As many of us sit behind desks for most of our waking life, our muscles stay stiff and contracted, greatly increasing the chance of injury during unplanned physical activity.  To ensure that your body functions as a well-oiled man machine, stretch every morning and night (after a reasonable warm-up, of course) or at least undertake some light physical activity that tests your full range of motion.
4. Exercise At Least 3-4 Times A Week
   All the healthy habits in the world won’t help your overall fitness if you sit on the couch all day. To be a healthy man, get up and get active. But how much exercise is enough? Most major health organizations suggest at least 30 minutes of regular, moderate-intensity physical activity on most days to prevent cardiovascular diseases and to maintain fitness. This, of course, comes with the footnote that more exercise is always better.
5. Supplement your works with other activities
   Doing other activities that help speed up your heart rate and burn calories is important.  Even though these might not be what you consider ‘working out’ they help your body increase it’s metabolism.  Here are a few fun ideas that can help supplement you regular workout.  Try playing in pick-up games of basketball, soccer or volleyball once a week.  Take advantage of the great warm weather we have here in the valley, and swim some laps at a local pool.  Take advantage of all the great hiking trails in the area and go for a hike or a ride on a mountain bike.

Here are some tips on improving your diet and losing weight.

1. Drink a large glass of water before each meal.
   This simple action will save you mountains of calories in the coming year! By filling your stomach with water right before you eat you reduce your chances of overeating during the meal. Drinking more water is also healthy for all of your body functions, including converting body fat into usable energy.
2. Wait 20 minutes before deciding on seconds.
   Do you remember the last time you were uncomfortably full after a meal? Chances are that you were hungry and, rather than stopping when you were satisfied, you overate. In the same way that your body tells you when you are hungry, it also has a way of telling you when you are full. The catch is that it takes about 20 minutes for your brain to get the message from your stomach that you have eaten enough. What you eat during that 20 minutes is extra food that your body doesn’t need. Next time that you are in the middle of a meal contemplating getting yourself seconds, allow 20 minutes to pass before you decided if you still need the extra food. Chances are that your brain will get the “full” message and you will pass on the extra calories!
3. Obey the No Food Three Hours Before Bed Rule.
   Eating a snack after dinner is a widely held habit. Although food always seems to taste better right before bed, it is also more prone to stick with you when eaten late at night. It has been proven that not eating three hours before bed reduces fat storage throughout the night. If you go to bed at 10pm, finish eating for the day no later than 7pm. Once you have made this a habit you will be ecstatic over the long-term weight loss!
4. Substitute Healthy Snacks For Junk Food
   If you’re a three-meal-per-day guy, chances are that your energy levels take a dive between meals. By refueling with healthy snack foods, instead of traditional junk food, you’ll keep your energy levels high without sacrificing your health. Traditional junk foods tend to be high in sugars and fat. When consumed, these foods will give an immediate boost of energy, followed by a big energy drop. Eating healthy snacks, on the other hand, can help to ensure that your energy stays level throughout the day.

   Substitute Healthy Snacks For Junk FoodIf you’re a three-meal-per-day guy, chances are that your energy levels take a dive between meals. By refueling with healthy snack foods, instead of traditional junk food, you’ll keep your energy levels high without sacrificing your health. Traditional junk foods tend to be high in sugars and fat. When consumed, these foods will give an immediate boost of energy, followed by a big energy drop. Eating healthy snacks, on the other hand, can help to ensure that your energy stays level throughout the day.

5. Eat Smaller Meals, More Frequently
   Most of us stick to a three-meal-a-day or four-meal-a-day regimen (probably because tradition tells us to). While there’s generally nothing wrong with that, more and more experts are suggesting that it’s time we up the number of meals we eat per day to five or six. Although the optimal number of meals remains unclear, planning meals properly and limiting portion size will at least prevent overeating (and it’s overeating that tends to have the greatest impact on overall physical fitness).