Get Fit Quick Tip:

Listen to your body!

How do you know when nagging soreness from exercise warrants a trip to the doctor? Soreness is part of working out sometimes. Discomfort is also part of working out sometimes. Pain is NOT part of working out. So here’s the bottom line: If a move, motion or exercise doesn’t “feel” right to your body, it probably isn’t. Unload the weight and stop the exercise. Revisit proper form without weight or resistance, and then try again. If it still doesn’t feel right, then adjust the range of motion, mode of exercise or consider modifications. This is a feeling you don’t want to push through. And if you have pain that results, here are few guidelines to know when to take it seriously:

When ice doesn’t make it feel better.

When you have loss of range of motion or mobility.

When pain wakes you up at night.

Any pain accompanied by swelling, change in appearance of joint or muscles, numbness or tingling.

When you’re unable to perform your usual workout because of pain or discomfort.

Listen to Your Body!

Walk/Run for Function
It may sound cliché (or you’ve heard it before) but getting out the office and briskly walking round the block even for 10-20 minutes can make the baddest of days better.
Your mind will clear and re-focus from physically removing yourself from the environment, your mood lifted from the natural light and oxygen.
Try this 15 minute fat blast workout:
Brisk walk warm up
2 minute jog
30 second sprint
Repeat x5 before cooling down with a slow walk. Finish with stretching.

Head for the Hills
Hill walks/sprints are a great way of exercising the heart and lungs. Try your local park, woods or venture a little further, making a day of it at the beach or a national park. Vary the terrain: grass, gravel, sand all make a difference and keep it interesting. Running uphill (or some outdoor steps,) walking down and repeating is a great interval training workout of exertion and recovery at your own pace. You can track your progress by recording how many you can do – and see if you can beat it next time. Great fun for all the family so make a game of it!

DIY Bootcamp
Try making your own bootcamp either in your garden or a local playground. Look at what you can use for exercises, even as simple as throwing and catching a ball against a wall. Press ups, step-ups and tricep dips can be done on a bench. Pull ups, mountain climbers and knee tucks can be done using a climbing frame ladder.

Whatever your age and fitness level, you now have three variations of outdoor workouts, all with phenomenal effects. So if it rains, be your own sunshine!

Gen Levrant is an Advanced Personal Trainer and fat-loss specialist operating out of a private functional training studio in Southampton UK. For fitness tips, updates and further info: http://www.fasterpt.com/personal-trainer-southampton/or email Gen via gen@fasterpt.com. Follow her on Twitter @PTGen, https://www.facebook.com/FasterPersonalTrainingSouthamptonorvia Youtube Channel http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=82Jii13lkNY

Three Must-Try Outdoor Workouts by Gen Levrant