Happy New Year to all of the MAD Blog readers out there! I hope this blog post finds you all doing very well and enjoying a good start to what surely will be a great year! For this post, I've put together a few fitness and wellness tips to help you be more successful in your active lifestyle this year.
1. Create a Routine-When you have a routine to follow, you are more likely to find success when it comes to losing weight and getting fitter and healthier. Whether it's daily walks with the dog at Lady Bird Lake, or trips to the fitness room, planning and organizing your day around your exercise program is the best way to ensure that your success.
2. Get Uncomfortable-In order to achieve results, you must get out of your comfort zone and exert some real effort, even if it's for a brief amount of time. Buy a heart rate monitor for your workouts. With just a minimum amount of programming, they can tell you which Heart Rate Zone you are working in. There are 5 Zones of exercise intensity. For a reference, walking is typically a Zone 1 or 2 exercise depending on speed and intensity level. For any true weight loss or fitness results, you must get into Zones 3 and 4 for a least part of your workouts.
3. Be Efficient-If you are spending more than 45 minutes in the gym "working out" by yourself, then you may not be working efficiently enough. As mentioned above in #2, we want to work at higher heart rate levels if possible. Plus, with everyone's hectic schedules, it is easier if we maximize our workout time. Try to plan for 5-6 workouts a week, with the workout lasting 30 minutes.
4. Build Muscle-Here's a simple phrase to remember: More Muscle burns More Fat! A body that contains a larger percent of muscle fibers requires more calories to maintain it's daily expenditures. While more calories sounds like the wrong idea, just hear me out. Your metabolism will actually rise if your body has more muscle on it and will in turn allow you to burn more fat. This effect will help you to create a slimmer, leaner, and more defined physique. So, don't be afraid to turn to weight training. If you are not comfortable with free weights, machines are a perfectly fine alternative. Just remember to train multiple parts of your body.
5. Eat Smaller-Think of your body as an engine in a steam train or a fire in your fireplace. You consistently want to feed it small amounts of fuel to keep it running or burning. It has been proven that 5-6 small, balanced meals throughout the day is the best way to feed your body and keep you from storing fat and gaining excess weight. Choose lean meats for a protein source to rebuild your muscles. Small portions of carbohydrates (no bigger than the size of your fist) will keep your energy levels up. And fruits and vegetables of just about any kind are great ways to round out your plate.
6. Be Goal Oriented-This goes hand in hand with #1. Most people need external motivation to succeed in weight loss or in acheiving a fitness goal. Set goals. Whether it be signing up for a race and training to finish it, buying a dress that you want to fit into, or a social gathering that you will attend in the future, have a tangible object to strive towards. When your motivation is low and you are looking for reasons to continue, these goals will be your helping hand.
7. Ignore the Scale-While it is a good idea to check in every so often, don't let your life and your fitness routine be ruled by the scale. A little secret...muscle actually weighs more than fat. Most people don't see a huge weight loss early on when they start a workout routine. Gradually, your body starts to change and you lose weight and gain muscle. Let your clothes be your guide. Concentrate more on how things fit and feel and less on how much the numbers may or may not be changing.
8. Be Social-When individuals have allies in any endeavor, they are more likely to succeed. I compete in triathlons, and a big source of my success in training and finishing them is the fact that one of my neighbors trains for them as well. We talk about our training routines and concerns on a weekly basis and even work out together when our schedules fit. So, join a fitness class. Our Saturday 830am class at the Austonian is tons of fun! Or, if you are more athletic, find a sport league that you can join. Either way, finding other people with your common interests and pursuits is a much more effective way to reach your fitness goals.
9. Treat Yourself-As with everything in life, I truly believe that moderation is the key. As a fitness trainer, I can honestly tell you that there are days when I don't want to work out. There are nights that I want nothing more than to order a pizza and have a beer or two. While I workout more days than I don't, and I keep my pizza cravings to Friday night only most of the time, I still indulge them. I schedule and get a massage every week. Being fit and active is the lifestyle that I have chosen. However, within that lifestyle, I still find time to let go and treat myself. Those are some of the moments that make all the hard work even more worthwhile.
10. Take Pride-Lastly, take pride in yourself. It is easy to NOT do anything. It is EASY to sit around and snack all day. When you stand up and decide that you want to improve your fitness and overall wellness, you are starting down the path of changing your lifestyle. And for some, it is not an easy road to travel. The last thing you need to do is fill yourself with doubt and negative emotion. Take pride in the fact that you are on the road to taking better care of yourself. Your body is yours and yours alone. Love it and yourself. It will have a fantastic effect on the way you view and treat everything and everyone around you.
