The cardio you do can be anything: walking, running, biking, swimming....whatever cardio you don't mind doing so that you'll stick with it. Aim for 30-45 minutes, a minimum of 2 times a week.

Weightlifting is important because 3 pounds of added muscle burns as many calories as a 1 mile jog...and this is while you're just sitting around! Aim for 30-45 minutes, a minimum of 2 times a week. If you're confused as to what exercises to do for each body part, please check out: http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/exercises.htm. It features professional bodybuilders, but information is great and can be used by anyone.

The last exercise you need to do is ab exercises- shocking! Aim to work your abs a minimum of 3 times a week. There are a ton of different ab exercises you can do so try to find 3 or so that you enjoy doing so you can mix it up. A good database of different ab exercises is: http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/exername.php?MainMuscle=Abdominals

Well, there you have it. Follow above for 3 months religiously and I'm almost certain majority of people will experience positive results. It will take serious dedication on your part, but imagine feeling you'll get when you look in mirror and like what you see.

This hamstring example is just one of many… muscle imbalances are responsible for nearly every ache, pain, injury and condition out there! Here are a few more examples of injuries / conditions that are caused by muscle imbalances and can easily be prevented and/or eliminated with targeted stretches and exercises: • upper back and neck pain • shoulder injuries (rotator cuff) • elbow and wrist pain (carpal tunnel, tennis/golfer/baseball elbow, etc) • knee pain (runners knee, chondromalacia, ligament tears, etc) • hip pain (IT band syndrome, bursitis, etc) • ankle pain (Achilles tendonitis, shin splints, plantar fasciitis, heel spurs, etc) All of these conditions are caused by muscle imbalances and will NOT go away unless you work towards correcting imbalances… and only way to know for sure which imbalances are causing your pain or injury is to do a series of physical assessments like ones covered in our “Lose Back Pain Video” which is designed for anyone suffering from back pain or sciatica. What heck is a targeted stretch? This is a question we are asked often and here’s definition we give it: Targeted Stretch - a stretch or stretching exercise that is chosen, based on physical assessments, to target a specific muscle or muscle group to increase flexibility and range of motion in that area and bring bones and or joints back towards normal position. When you compare a targeted stretch to general stretches like ones found in Yoga, Pilates and corny ones your doctor, chiropractor or physical therapist gives you, it’s no surprise they give little or no pain relief and almost always fail to get rid of problem. Conclusion Remember, key to eliminating injuries and preventing future ones is to identify what areas you need to target. In next article we’ll be discussing in detail, how to address various injuries like back, hip, knee, and shoulder pain with targeted exercises. In meantime, be sure to read thru all of our detailed Back Pain Articles and if you have questions, please post them in our Discussion Forum. ---------------