May 16, 2024

Take your fitness All-Out!

Get Fit Quick Tip:

Go All-Out!

When was the last time you experienced true muscle fatigue in your fitness plan? True muscular fatigue means you’re working to your max. Choosing a workout that requires your maximum physical effort and full mental attention keeps motivation high. It’s also a great method to assess your fitness abilities and progress. Experiment with different workouts once a week or once a month to see what requires 100% of your body and your mind. You may even find a new sport to love!

 

 

Perfect your PushUp

Get Fit Quick Tip:

PushUps!

Do traditional exercises like pushups still have value in your exercise plan? The answer is a resounding yes! Here’s why. Pushups incorporate all muscles of the body. Pushups use the core muscles how they are required to work during your daily activities, in a stabilizing capacity. Pushups build upper body strength.

Find a form of pushups that works for you. For example:

Wall Pushups. Stand facing the wall. Place your hands flat on the wall in front of you, about chest-level high and shoulder-width apart. Bend both elbows and lean into the wall. Keep your feet flat on the floor and keep your torso straight. Extend both arms and return to your starting position.

Bench Pushups. Place your hands in the center of a stable bench, with your body straight and toes on the floor. Bending both elbows, lower your chest toward the bench. Extend your arms and return to your starting position.

Floor Full Pushups. Place both hands flat on the floor with your hands slightly wider than your shoulders. Tuck your toes under and lift your body up off the floor.  Bend both arms and lower your chest toward the floor. Extend both arms to return to your starting position.

Floor Modified Pushups. Kneel on the floor. Place both hands flat on the floor in front of you about shoulder-width apart. Move your knees back slightly until your body is straight, with only your knees and hands on the floor. Bend both arms and lower your chest to the floor. Extend both arms to return to your starting position.

*Always consult your physician before beginning exercise.

 

 

Set Weekly Goals

Get Fit Quick Tip:

Set Weekly Goals!

Short term goals of 3-6 months are important, as are long term goals of 6 months or longer to keep our focus. However, setting weekly goals keeps motivation high day in and day out. Write down your weekly goals and check off your progress as you go. 

Here’s how to get started:

Break it down. Set a weekly mileage goal or weight training goal by workouts logged, or even number of exercises, sets or weight mastered.

Reward small steps. Every workout counts and should be acknowledged as important.

Adjust as soon as possible. Weekly goals allows feedback sooner than short term goals. This means less time wasted moving in a direction not supportive of our goals.

Try Running!

Get Fit Quick Tip:

Try Running!

Running is an effective total body workout. With one exercise you’ll strengthen your cardiovascular system, as well as your muscle endurance.

Here’s how to start:

Incorporate running or jogging into your day. If you’re out taking the dog for a walk, add in a few 10-30 second jogging intervals. Watching your child’s sports baseball? Do running intervals around a neighboring field.

Hit the trails. Running on dirt provides a unique experience. If you appreciate the quiet and prefer to not navigate around cars, take your jogging or running workout off the road. Start with running intervals according to terrain.

Head to the hills. Neighborhood hills with little traffic work well for a focused jogging or running workout. Begin by performing running intervals uphill and then walk down the hill.

Treadmills work. Love them or hate them, treadmills provide a workout opportunity regardless of weather, time of day or ability. Choose your speed, choose your duration and go.

*Always consult your physician before beginning exercise.

 

No Pain, No Gain?

Get Fit Quick Tip:

Pain should NOT be included in your workout!

Every exerciser will benefit from being able to differentiate between pain (injury, radiating pain, limited range of motion, numbness, tingling) and muscle fatigue (muscle burn, feeling tired.) Pain should not be a part of your workout. If you’re having pain with exercise, STOP! Discontinue that exercise, regroup and try a different exercise or mode of exercise entirely.  The following 4 statements provide a general definition of pain and should NOT be experienced during or after your workout. Common sense is paramount. If an exercise doesn’t “feel quite right” during a workout, it probably isn’t.

Sharp, shooting, stabbing pain in your muscle or around your joint.

Sudden loss, restricted or change of range of motion.

Pain that is nauseating, leads to dizziness or instability.

Pain that worsens with exercise.

 

 

 

Expand your Fitness Horizons

Get Fit Quick Tip:

Try new exercises on a regular basis!

Our body (and our mind) likes unaccustomed exercise! Expand your fitness horizons by trying new exercises every 4-6 weeks. Here are 3 ideas to get you started:

Ask your friends what physical activities they enjoy. Tag along!

Revisit your childhood activities. Did you love a particular sport or physical fitness activity growing up? Try it again.

Research. Google search sports and fitness for your home town and see what activities pop up.

 

 

 

 

Do Jumping Jacks!

Get Fit Quick Tip:

Do Jumping Jacks!

Jumping jacks are a great high intensity cardio option if you’re short on time, short on equipment and short on space. Perform your desired number of jumping jacks, followed by jogging or walking in place for recovery. Repeat until your desired workout time is complete.

Vary the motion by adding a squat, moving only one arm at a time, moving forward, crossing your legs during the in-step, lowering your arms only half way, just to name a few. This workout is limited only by your creativity.

 

*Always consult your physician before beginning exercise.

Drink Your Water!

Get Fit Quick Tip:

Drink Water!

It’s no secret that drinking water yields numerous health benefits. So why is staying adequately hydrated a challenge for so many? Here are a few ideas to staying properly hydrated for your fitness, and your day:

 

Set your phone alarm. Set your alarm on your smart phone for every three hours as a reminder.

Pre-fill your water bottles for the day. Set the bottles on the counter, your desk or wherever you spend a lot of time, as a visual reminder.

Pair drinking water with other daily activities. Get up, drink a glass of water. Drink a glass of water before each meal. Drink water every time upon arriving home, Drink water before, during and after your workout.

Choose water first. Whenever out or at a friends house, order and drink one glass of water first.

 

Can-Do Fitness Approach

Get Fit Quick Tip:

Take a Can-Do Approach

Instead of focusing on what you can’t do, approach your wellness plan from what you CAN do. Focus on the positive, and that’s where your mind will lead you. For example:

One at a time. If you’re not convinced you can eliminate junk food all together, start by eliminating one junk food meal each week.

Focus on the present. It’s a wonderful accomplishment that you were a collegiate athlete, however where is your fitness now? Focus on your current fitness base and build from there.

Increase in small steps. Building fitness too fast, too soon is a common mistake of those new to exercise. Build your fitness in small steps to allow your body to adapt to your goal. Each small step mastered will increase confidence and therefore motivation.

 

 

Keep Fitness Motivation Going…

Get Fit Quick Tip:

Plan Ahead!

Healthy living does NOT take the weekend off! Keep motivation going by planning your weekend-fitness ahead of time.

Here’s how to keep your workouts (and motivation) happening on the weekends:

Invite friends. Invite friends to join in your workout. You’ll catch up on the week and as the saying goes, time flies when you’re having fun!

Race. Racing is a great way to insure your workouts happen on the weekend. Competing side by side with thousands of new friends, the energy will feed your motivation for weeks and months to come.

Go early. Get up early and log your workout before the sun (and your family) rises. Morning workouts likely means fewer interruptions and distractions.

Include physical activity into your daily routine. If a structured workout is difficult, consider adding fitness bursts into your day. Walk the soccer field while your child plays, stand instead of sit, ride bikes instead of driving.