Motivation - Is the Scale Weighing You Down?

You've done a fabulous job all week - you've stuck to your healthy eating and have even been religious about exercise in your diligent effort to lose weight. Then you step on the scale and feel nothing but disappointment. Not even a budge!

Don't let the scale weigh you down. There are many things it isn't telling you - like how much stronger and healthier you are becoming! When you feel your motivation dwindling based on the numbers on the scale, ask your self - do I have more energy? Have I lost inches? Do I feel and look better in my clothes?

Focusing on the scale alone will definitely zap anyone's motivation to stick with good habits. On a day-to-day basis, there are so many reasons the numbers on the scale may teeter totter. It can be helpful to monitor progress by measuring and weighing, but don't become obsessed. Stick to stepping on the scale a maximum of one time per week.

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Strength Training - Multi Joint Exercises

Gone are the days when we just do a series of bicep curls or sit ups. These are single-joint or isloation exercises. The most effective way of strength training is by using multi-joint movements. Think about it, by working multiple muscle groups at one time, we not only burn more calories but we also save on valuable time!

You are probably sitting there thinking - what the heck does multi-joint exercise mean? It is an exercise that uses movement across two or more joints, such as a squat. This exercise requires you to manipulate the ankles, knees, hips, spine and possible the shoulders to complete the movement. Though they may be the more challenging moves, multi-joint exercises are the ones that will make the biggest difference in your body.

Don't worry, you will see more blog posts about this topic. We firmly believe in this type of training and in the coming weeks, we will be sure to show you various multi-joint exercises that will help you not only in everyday function but also in fat loss and definition.

Attitude -Why Bother?

The truth is that when something is really important to us, we're much more likely to find a way to fit it into our life, at least in small doses. If it's not really important to us, then we probably won't make a concerted effort or have much long-term success with it. Our personal health and fitness goals are no exception. The first step in finding time for fitness is to decide whether or not it's truly important to you to be more active, even if that means rearranging a bit in other areas of your life. Then, once you know your personal motivators, you can begin to use them to your benefit in order to support your efforts to carve out time for exercise. Here's the first step on how to do that:

Write your "Why Bother?" list. Take a few minutes to list your personal reasons for wanting to get or stay committed to regular physical activity. (Do not include reasons that are important to other people or that you think you "should" feel are important.) When writing your list, ask yourself a few questions like: Why now, at this point in my life, should I bother to try to become more active? How will my life be better when I am exercising more? How is increased fitness going to help me? Why is it important to me to be an active person?

Take your time thinking through this exercise. It's important to have at least 1 item on this list before you even begin an exercise program. Next Monday, we will tell you how this list can lead you to increasing your physical activity.

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Creativity - How Are You Fitting In Exercise This Week?

At MAKE IT FIT, we believe that an essential key to staying consistent with your exercise regimen is by being creative and flexible with your exercise program.

This week, I wasn't able to find any free time on Thursday. I had visitors in town and so while spending time with my niece I was able to sneak in 20 minutes of physical activity playing with her outside. We played tag and every now and then I threw in the "simon says" game using different exercises. We both loved it! It was a nice change from my regular routine and it really was a lot of fun.

Let us know how you are fitting in exercise this week.

Motivation - Overcoming the Alarm Clock

You are not alone...we all know exercise is beneficial. But when faced with getting your sweat on during a morning workout or getting a little extra shut eye, who wouldn't reach for the snooze button and pull the covers up?

Rise and shine. Plug in your alarm clock across the room so that it can't be turned off without getting out of bed. And make sure your workout clothes are prepared the night before and sitting next to the alarm clock as a secondary source of motivation.

Exercise at any time of the day is better than no exercise at all, but the benefits of a morning fitness routine are plenty.

"Morning exercise revs the metabolism and jump-starts energy levels, actually accelerating your ability to burn calories," says Amy Burleson Sullivan, PsyD, clinical health psychologist in the primary care section at the Dayton VA Medical Center in Dayton, Ohio. "It gets the endorphins flowing so that when you're finished you have greater acuity, less anxiety, improved mood, and increased ability to concentrate, all of which contribute to a better day," explains Sullivan.

Rise and Shine!

Strength Training - Stability Ball

A stability ball is an inexpensive "must-have" for quick strength training routines. Training on the ball challenges the whole body to participate in order to maintain correct posture and balance, and to perform dynamic exercise movement. Because it is a little unstable the body is constantly adjusting and moving as an entire unit. This type of movement compares to how you move about in a normal day and therefore is a great source for "functional" training.

There are hundreds of exercises that can be done using the stability ball to strengthen and tone the entire body. Just imagine all the ways you use a workout bench or chair and use a stability ball instead. Check out www.youcanmakeitfit.com for some great stability ball workouts. It's great way to improve strength, balance and flexibility.

Attitude - Change your Perception

There are so many reasons why some do not exercise. In our blog each week, we will address the most common reasons. Today, we wanted to address a very popular one. Have you ever thought this? "I know I should exercise but I hate it so I just can't seem to make myself do it."

Many people have negative feelings about exercise, as can be heard by the use of words like should, hate and make myself. These thoughts and feelings come from negative past experiences like being chosen last for teams, boring exercise routines, and discomfort or pain from doing too much too fast. Some people only exercise when they are trying to lose weight so they have come to think of exercise as a punishment for their overeating. However, it's time for you to change your perception. Find fun physical activities that suit your personality and lifestyle. Start slowly and allow your body to adjust gradually so it is not uncomfortable. Make small steps toward big change. And allow yourself to focus on all the great things exercise does for you and how wonderful you feel instead of how much weight you should lose.

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Cardio - Jump Into It

When you just don't have time for a long cardio session, revert back to those childhood years of double dutch. Jumping rope has been around for hundreds of years and has proven track record of providing many health benefits. Jumping rope not only tones the entire body by developing long, lean muscles in all major muscle groups, but it also optimizes cardiovascular conditioning and maximizes athletic skills by combining agility, coordination, timing, and endurance.

Jumping rope is an amazing tool for burning calories when you are short on time. On average, jumping rope burns 11 calories per minute but the higher and faster you jump it can reach the limit to about 20 calories per minute. So, in just 15 minutes of exercise you can burn at least 165 calories! Not to mention, jumping rope is portable, inexpensive, easy to learn and a perfect activity that can be done with the kids too.

Strength Training - Push Ups

It's no secret that the push up has been a staple move in fitness over the past several decades. It tones and shapes the chest, back, arms and core with just one move. We know you despise them - that's because they aren't easy. But try a doing them a new way with a stability ball.

Roll out on to the ball so that your hands are shoulder width apart on the floor and either your knees, shins or toes are on the ball. The further out the ball, the more difficult it is. Inhale and lower your chest down to the ground by allowing the elbows to bend out away from your body. Exhale and push through your chest, arms and palms back to starting position. Repeat a total of 10 times.

Attitude - Stop Thinking About It

Just Do It! If you are "thinking" about adding exercise into your life you are most likely thinking about all the challenges and obstacles that stand in the way too. How about trying the Just Do It attitude one time this week? Set no expectations on how long or at what intensity, but rather just get to it. Anything - a walk, run, swim, circuit workout, exercise class. Just try something without even putting too much thought into it.

Physical inactivity has been associated with the risk of obesity and chronic medical conditions such as heart disease and diabetes. It's never too late to reap the rewards and benefits of exercise. So stop putting so much pressure on yourself and avoid making excuses. "Just Do It" one time this week and take mental note of what happens both physically and mentally.

Cardio - 20 minute blast

If you only have 20 minutes to devote to your cardio program today, high intensity interval training is a great way to burn a ton of calories. This type of training will burn more calories from fat and studies have shown that high intensity interval training keeps your metabolism raised for up to 12 hours following a session!

Here is a sample interval workout to try - you can either use a piece of cardio equipment in the gym or you can couple these interval exercises with a run or walk outside.

Take 2-3 minutes to warm up by doing regular cardio activity (walk, run, elliptical, bike) at about 50% of your max effort.

Then you will begin the interval work.
Regular cardio activity for 2 minutes at 60-70% of your max effort (run, walk, bike, etc.)
Interval exercise for 1 minute at about 90% of your max effort (sprint, hill, exercise below, etc)

Complete this cycle 5 times and then cool down at 40-50% of your max effort level for 2-3 minutes.

For the high intervals, you can either increase the speed, incline or resistance of the cardio machine you are on to intensify your workload. Or, you can hop off and try some of these exercises as your high intervals. Mixing it up is key.

Four intervals to try:

• Jump Rope
• Jumping Jacks
  
• Squat Jumps
• Side Lateral hops (like a speed skater)
  

Remember, listen to your body. If the 1 minute high intensity interval is too intense, back down to 30 seconds. As you progress, you can always increase.

For more interval programs, visit www.youcanmakeitfit.com

Motivation - Identify your Motivator

When it comes to exercise we often "think" of doing it for the wrong reasons. Is finding time for fitness really important to you? Here's how you determine that.

1. Write a "Why Bother?" List - Make a list of YOUR personal reasons for wanting to exercise. Ask yourself, why now, at this point in my life, should I bother to try to become more active? How will my life be better when I am exercising more? How is increased fitness going to help me? Why is it important to me to be an active person?

2. Get to the heart of the matter - review your list and cross out any reasons that are not important to YOU personally. Then, put a 1 next to the reason(s) on your list that really make you feel a strong emotion when you think about them. These are your POWERFUL motivators and there is no rule about what the reason(s) can be.

3. Use your powerful motivator to your benefit - now that you have identified your true list, create a way to remind yourself daily of these motivators and the emotions that go along with them. For example, if exercise is important to you because you want to be healthy and fit to keep up with your children, consider putting pictures of your kids in places you'll see them when you
may be faced with the decision to exercise or not.

Identifying your true motivator(s) is the first step to making your intentions to exercise turn into reality.

Strength Training - Forget the Barbie Weights

As a trainer who works with woman each and every day, I am constantly battling with ladies that don't want to lift weights heavier than 5 pounds for fear of looking too big and bulky. Guess what ladies - if you have children you have been lifting heavier than five pounds since the day your child was born. How about those laptop bags - those are certainly heavier too.

To quote Lou Schuler who said it best in his book The New Rules of Lifting for Woman, "Hard work includes lifting heavier weights. If the weights do not challenge you, your muscles won't grow. If your muscles don't grow, they wont look any better than they do now, even if you could somehow strip off whatever fat sits on top of them. Unless you're an extreme genetic outlier, you can't get too bulky. Your body won't allow it." Woman are naturally deprived of the amounts of testosterone that would make this worry a true concern.

So, the next time you pick up the weights, don't waste precious time with the 2 and 3 pound barbie dumbbells. Make your workout more effective in less time by choosing weights that challenge you. It won't be long before you begin to notice the difference in your figure.

Attitude - All or Nothing

Since our behaviors are largely the result of our thoughts, the way we think about fitness and activity often determines whether or not we'll choose an active lifestyle. One of the most subtle forms of sabotage to any fitness commitment is all-or-nothing thinking.

If you're having trouble starting or staying consistent with a fitness routine, get rid of the notion that you must do it "right" or not at all. And remember three things:

• Some activity is always better than none.
• There's no perfect exercise; whatever you enjoy and will do regularly is a good choice.
• You may not be as fit as you wish you were right now, but the sooner you start moving, the sooner you'll get there!