We all could use a boost to the old self-image every now and then. When you look good, you feel good. A confident person is noticed by others. One way to achieve this "new attitude" is through training with weights. Weight training is essential for every man and woman to maintain good health well into later life. And, weight training is not necessarily about bulk but tone/strength. Not everybody wants to be Mr. or Ms. Olympia -- most people just want a well-proportioned figure that they can be proud of.

But not only can weight training make you look good: the challenges of weight training help to improve the mind's ability to focus! To perform the exercises properly takes concentration. You have to visualize each part of the movement. See what the muscle is doing when the weight is raised and when the weight is lowered.

Here are three ways that weight training is good for your mind:

Whether you're trying to lose weight or just wanting to maintain your sleek physique, boosting your metabolism to a higher rate is always a good idea. There are several ways to give your metabolism an extra push – including exercising early in the day – but eating can also be a factor in its elevation.

Treadmills are one of the most efficient ways of burning calories, but before getting one for their home gym, many people want to know whether there really is any advantage to treadmill running versus outdoor running. It seems like we can just go ahead and walk or run outside, so why spend the money on another piece of equipment? Let's take a look at the advantages and disadvantages of treadmills over running outdoors to help you decide whether a treadmill is right for you.

People spend a lot of time indoors every day. Kids spend six hours a day in school. Many adults spend at least eight hours inside of the buildings where they work. We spend all night in our homes: eating, playing, and sleeping. When do we take the time to enjoy the "great outdoors"? Fresh air is highly underrated. Getting out of doors on a regular basis can improve one's health and sense of well-being.

I found another free e-book for you called, "The Trouble Spot Tune-Up - A 10 Minute Workout For Your Most Stubborn Areas," by Joey Atlas.

Joey was the "fat kid" in school, and that motivated him to get fit and healthy later on in life -- he now has a Masters Degree in Exercise Physiology! He's the author of The Ultimate Leg, Butt, Hip and Thigh Makeover.

Most fitness conscious people have heard that there are 3,500 calories in a pound of fat, so if you create a deficit of 3500 calories in a week, you lose a pound of weight. If you create a deficit of 7000 calories in a week, you lose two pounds, and so on. Right? Well, not so fast…

Dr. Kevin Hall, an investigator at the National Institute of Health in Bethesda has done some interesting research about the mechanisms regulating human body weight. He recently published a new paper in the International Journal of Obesity that throws a wrench in works of the “3500 calories to lose a pound” idea.

It's such a common occurrence, it's become a cliche: you spend hundreds, if not thousands of dollars, on a treadmill, exercise bike or an elliptical machine, only to see it gather enough dust to make your mother weep when she visits -- or worse yet, you can't even see the darn thing because it's a rather expensive clothes hanger. Out of sight, out of mind seems to be your motto.

When I bought my elliptical machine, I was determined to get my money's worth. Who wants to spend that much money on an overgrown door stopper? So, if you can't even remember what your exercise equipment looks like, I've got 4 tips to help you dust it off and start using it again.

I'm sure you've heard it before: get regular exercise; exercise 60 minutes a day, exercise 30 minutes a day, exercise every day, move, move, move. And, yup, you see people exercising their hearts out while you sit there because you're too darned tired to get moving. You might think, "What's the use? I can't do that much exercise. And a little bit of exercise won't help me at all." Well, you'd be wrong! A new study by researchers at the University of Georgia found something very interesting: people who don't exercise regularly can increase their energy and reduce their level of fatigue with low intensity exercise.

For many, there’s nothing like a little outside pressure and accountability to motivate success. When you tell others, they’re likely to check in with you regularly to see how you’re doing and if you’re close to success. Here are a few groups of people you might want to tell your goals to, to motivate you to succeed:

When winter hits, most people just want to bundle up, and stay inside with a cup of hot tea and, close the curtains and wait for spring. Who wants to go through the painstaking process of bundling up to go outside to get exercise? While dressing for winter can often be a workout in itself, it isn’t enough to stay healthy over the winter months. And, even if you manage to keep a healthy diet over the winter, it isn’t enough to maintain your overall health. Exercise needs to be a part of your lifestyle, no matter what time of year it is. So, what better time is there to join a gym, than when winter hits and tries to enforce months of hibernation?