Your Challenge Today:
Step up your workout!
By Bernadette Kathryn, LMT, IHLC
If you want to do it, you do it.
There are no excuses.
~ Bruce Nauman
As you participate in exercise more and more over the weeks, months and years ~ you will find that you need to workout harder, longer and a little more intensely to get the result that you want. Adaptation is healthy and expected! It means that your fitness level is increasing and your workout needs to reflect that! Adjustment in your program is NOT an invitation to overdo it! This is NOT instructions for ‘killing’ yourself in a workout. Progress in your plan does mean that you will need to adjust your training program to reflect your new found fitness!
Your workout and fitness plan needs to reflect your fitness goals. If you have an intention to run a marathon, you need to plan a strategy to accomplish that. If you have a goal of hiking Mt. Kilimanjaro, your workout and training program need to prepare you for that adventure. It’s up to you to consult with a professional if you need one to determine the exact training program for you. If you have squeaky knees or a squeaky back, you may want to consult with a physical therapist to find precisely the best exercises and exercise prescription for your body.
If your goal is to lose a few LBS and improve your general fitness level ~ you may be found taking a group fitness class, participating in a walking program or joining a tennis league. The most important thing here is to get going, get moving, find something or a few somethings that you can regularly do and get moving! If you don’t like exercise, you are going to have a bigger challenge ~ think outside the box. Think about how you can get movement into your daily life without having to go to a gym or force yourself to do something that you hate; it won’t be successful. For success with the game, the requirement is 30 minutes of movement 6x weekly.
commit, commit and commit again…. at the very least, it’s walking and when the energy and time permit, it’s all the other fun things I like to do for exercise …
Running, cycling, weights, yoga, yoga swing, swimming, intervals in the park — I think it’s important to mix it up! When I do different things my body doesn’t have overuse issues and it’s a more balanced approach.
my minimum goal is 30 minutes and preferably longer, but that’s not real everyday.
from Tim
Ouch.. if you put it that way I should be working out.. good thing I brought stuff to go at lunch..
from MJF
First is eat with that goal in mind, know that each meal is like a run on the treadmill and not just a passive moment. It is an active step towards where I want to be.
Next, is to be fully committed to the exercise program. This consists of walking to work ( which is no surprise) and ALSO 4 days of weights and cardio in addition to 4-5 session aquatique each week.
That should be a powerful combination to get me where I want to go.