7 Aug 2010

Developing Good Fitness Habits

So many of the clients I train talk about how they don't have the will or discipline to stick with theirworkout program.

The thing that they don't seem to understand is that it really is not about will or drive or discipline. It is simply about habits. Think of it this way, you don't have to have determination to brush your teeth and take a shower do you? No. You just do it.

That is the big difference between all the people who are in shape in the fitness area and the one's who are not. That's it really.

Although it does take drive to develop a workout or fitness habit, there are some things you can do to make it successful and easier and set yourself up for success.

Keeping to your workout schedule. So, we are creatures of habit and this is a really important thing to allow for when setting up your schedule. Ok here is the deal....the first 3 months is critical to developing a habit to the point that you never again have to reallly "think" about if you're going to workout or eat right. So like I said before the best case scenorio, working out for you should be like brushing your teeth. Leaving no question as to wether or not you are going to workout. You just do. No questions asked. The minute you skip a workout, you break the habit your sub conscience is trying develop.


Chemicals and fissures actually develop in your brain when it comes to this. It is just like creating a trail in the wild at first. The more you hike through it, the easier it gets to walk through it and the less you have to navigate. Habits are way more powerful than merely telling yourself "I need to workout because I am out of shape". Our mind just doesn't work like that. The easiest way to get to this point is to either take a class, use a trainer, or meet up with someone who is more determined than you are, so that you don't have to think about your workout and that you just have to do your workout.

Think about it....treat it like a habit before it even becomes one and you are on your way to that mindset. Coming to the fitness center to meet with a trainer to workout or take a class is great because you are already in the mindset of " I don't have to problem solve or think, I simply need to do something without thinking. That is the type of activity you need to develop the habit you want. Something were you can just show up.


This is why I get agitated with a trainer when they don't follow up with a no show. It's so much more than being upset at that client's lack of follow thru. Getting out of this habit, not doing what you set out to do has a direct impact on your confidence or lack of it.

Do yourself a favor and set yourself up for success from the get go.

1. Make it conveinent. No one wants or will drive 50 miles after a hard day of work. Make sure you pack your clothes in your car before you go to work if you work. The minute you get home from a hard day at work is the minute you end up staying at home. After all you see the laundry that needs to get done, the bills that need paying. Home is a never ending excuse believe me. 

2. Get with a person who is a few steps ahead of you. Always, when you want to develop your habit for success and have success developing your habit, you need to be around people you want to be like. You need to feed off their energy. Dale Carnegie once said that if he lost everything and became poor, he would immediately find a place where there were a lot of rich people because, just being around their energy alone would put him in a great place to make a comeback. 

3. Make it the same time everyday. Make it happen after the same event if you can every day. The trigger in your brain that tells you that it's time for bed or to go to work will be the same trigger that tells you that it is time for your workout. You see, less stuff to cognitively think about will add more space to just do and be. 

4. Make it enjoyable. For all that is good and right with the world....for Gods sake make it enjoyable. There is no reason to do a boring, tired workout. Please don't waste your life doing one. Instead, find out who to workout with and what to do to make it fun. 

5. Stay on it for three months without results being your main concern. Go ahead and do the best one for you and look forward to the results, but do it knowing that the results if done right will come and just do it.


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Gina Cool is the owner of http://www.CoolfitnessYOGA.com . She considers it an honor to help people get fit in mind, body, and spirit. She has been in the fitness industry for over 15 years. She has a BA in kinisiology.

Can't afford the gym ? Ditch it

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All you need is a bit of determination on your side and you can do it from your back garden, the big playing fields down the road, on the beach, where ever there is some open space or a little grass. Just somewhere you can feel comfortable.

I have a couple of circuits for you which you can do from your back garden or where ever your comfortable from. You can do things like going for a jog, a cycle or swimming or even a long walk say for an 1hr a day or every other day what ever suits you. Do some cardio exercise 3 - 4 times a week and in that do some circuit training and you will find yourself getting fitter and toning your body up without even paying a penny out.

Its in your own time a place where your comfortable and your not waiting for a machine or listening to the grunters as I call them in the gym. Do it with a friend to give you some support and push yourself more, take it in turns to take the circuit in the garden or pick one.

Obviously part of getting fit is losing a bit of weight and part of that is watching what you eat, cut out things like biscuits,cakes, crisps, chocolate bars if you eat alot of them, savoury stuff like pasties, just trimming stuff like this will help you.

Instead of eating 3 meals a day go for 6 smaller amounts but make sure you eat breakfast, and I don't mean bacon eggs and sausage and the trimmings. Like cereal or poached egg on toast ( brown ), scrambbled egg. Then eat something mid day as a snack, then lunch then mid afternoon the tea. That way you won't be pigging out at night.

Try not to eat in front of the TV or a computer screen as you will find yourself eating more trust me I tried it and its true.


Remember only you can change it, I don't want to hear I'm to tierd after work. If you can stick it out for 2 weeks solid you will feel the benefits and find you have more energy and you are more awake and you WILL feel better.
If you haven't exercised for a while the first 2 weeks will be hard and you will want to give up but stick at it and you will feel much better and more confident.
Good luck and feel free to check my blogs out with all the circuits on there.
http://forcesfitness.blogspot.com/

Matt

5 Aug 2010

The Top 7 Powerful Muscle Building Tips

Muscle building is a way to modify the body by performing intensive muscle exercises but sometimes bodybuilders are not able to acquire the form that they are aspiring for. muscle building tips serve as useful guide for performing intensive muscular exercises. They are simple and easy to follow and have been proven to work successfully. These muscle building tips can be implemented without modifying much of your usual muscle building routine:

1. Eat as protein food, fats and carbohydrates. Muscle building needs much energy so consume at least 1 gram of protein for every pound of body weight and at least 3 to 4 grams of carbs. You will also need healthy fats contained in flax seed, olive oil and natural peanut butter. To maintain your calorie requirements, cut off on season cardio.

2. Basic movements are your reliable aids in building a powerful body. You can rely on these basic arsenals whose usefulness have been tested by time, like the bench, squat and deadlift. You can also add the basic barbell curls and the military press.

3. Train extensively. According to most muscle building tips, there is no letting go when it comes to training. Exercise hard and extensively. The rule here is to train at 60% to 80% of your one rep max or add poundage where your allowable crunch is about 6 - 10 reps per set at full intensity.

4. Rest is important. So much attention has been given to the body that rest is forgotten. While doing training in the gym, your muscles are being torn down but while you are sleeping, these muscles are being rebuilt again. There is no need to specify the number of hours required for sleeping since your body knows when you have enough sleep.

5. Do not overdo your training. There is such a thing as too much; overdoing your training will revert months and even years of what you have gained so far. Consider each body part and train each weekly. Consider your sets; you have more than a dozen. Utilize twelve total sets for each body part. For each body part, perform a couple of basic movements about 3 to 4 set; and perform 3 to 4 sets for each exercise. Each training session must not last for more than 90 minutes or one and a half hours.

6. Home is the place for you to take a rest not in the gym. Between sets, you are allowed only two minutes of rest. You will just have enough time to catch your breath within 90 to 120 seconds and then continue with the next set working at it with the highest intensity. Then rest for another two minutes in between sets. Once you lose the pump, you might also invalidate your training.

7. Observe consistency and variations. Be consistent in training for there is no acceptable excuse to take a break. Commitment is the keyword for a successful muscle building program. If you cannot stand the effort then get out. You can make some variations by mixing the order of your exercise. Vary the grip here and there; add some sets as variation.

These 7 muscle building tips hold a lot of promise in giving you the kind of body you are working to achieve. These will always be available to guide you.
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