Four Ways to Fit More Fitness in Your Schedule
Everyday our lives are crammed with our daily routines. We go to work, study, pay our bills, etc. and never seem to have time for ourselves, what more to exercise. When we have too much on our plates, when do we find the time to think of fitness programmes? How do we stay fit? Lucky for us, an exercise routine does not have to be a full one-hour solid event. There are several ways where we can get some exercise time into our daily schedules. Below are four ways how you can incorporate exercise routines into your everyday life.Fitness At WorkWhen we think of it, work and exercise rarely go together. But nowadays, more and more employers are giving the opportunity for their workers to get healthy. There are even companies that incorporate special exercise or fitness breaks into the employees’ workday. That’s all well and good. But what if the company you work for does not provide such fitness breaks? How do you get your exercise? Hey here’s a secret. You can exercise at the office without ever letting anyone know! How do you do that, you say? Easy! Next time you need to go up or down use the stairs instead of the elevators. And how about trying to walk around as much as possible instead of sending that sms or that email to a co-worker? And, instead of using the bathroom on your floor, how about going up or down a few flights of stairs? You could also practice Pilate’s right at your desk, and perform simple stretching exercises either in your own little cubicle or in the bathroom. If you try to look for ways to exercises you’ll be amazed at the many opportunities that are available to you, right there in your office.Fitness At HomeYou’re at home. Great! What better place to exercise right? Wrong! In the home you might have other responsibilities such as being a mum or a dad. One way for you to be able to exercise is to also include your children in the routines. Once they’re involved with you, you’ll find it easier to exercise. Another plus point would be that you would be able to spend that special quality time with your kids, and they won’t even think of exercise as work or chores, so you’ll have double the fun. Need ideas? Go for walks before or after dinner, or organize a tag game which involves the whole family. Or you could turn your house chores into exercise routines. When vacuuming, make sure you use your arms and back and core muscles so that they are involved when you’re vacuuming. Or while loading the dishwasher or washing machine, maintain proper posture when bending and standing straight. This will keep your stomach muscles tight, and exercise them as you would while doing stomach exercise routines. Or for a quick aerobic blast, how about sweeping the driveway? Instant workout!Out and AboutWe may not think of exercising when we’re out and about doing our errands. However, once you try this, you’ll wonder why you didn’t think of it before. When you’re in any kind of line or queue, say at the grocery store or the bank, try to contract your buttocks for about 15 counts and release. This will help to strengthen your butt muscles (and will keep you cool should the customer in front of you needs five price checks!). One other routine you can try is to stand on you tiptoes for account of 10. Slowly drop back to your original position. This will strengthen your calf muscles. Or next time when you’re out shopping, use a grocery cart and push it all round the supermarket. Let’s say you’re sitting in traffic. Use that time to stretch and perform some arm movements while you wait. Of course some people may give you funny looks or stare, but that’s ok. You know what you’re doing is for your own good. Plus it keeps your blood pressure from shooting through the roof while waiting in that traffic jam.As and whenWhen it’s one of those days when you’re bored or feeling lifeless, get up and visit a local park or do some speed-walking around your neighborhood. If weather doesn’t permit, go to the mall. Walk around the mall at least twice on all levels. Did you know that there are some malls with reward programs which give you points just for walking the mall? These points can then be redeemed into gift certificates or shopping coupons. How’s hat for random walking around the mall? Plus all that walking will be good for you. When you think about it there are many places where you can go for random fitness outings. So next time you’re out and about, look out for these areas for your next spur of the moment exercise trip! Have fun!
Fitness Deadly 7 Sins
1 Sin: Pride
You refuse to listen to your personal trainer or instructor
Experienced exercisers may think they know it all, from proper form to personal limits, but in the long run, this prevents them from maximizing their workouts while increasing the risk of injury and disaster.
Redemption: Get your money’s worth. When you’re taking a class, one of the most important things you’re getting is expertise. As long as the person has the right certifications and clearly understands your goals, she can and should provide you with tons of information on weight loss and nutrition. A good instructor will also help you stay on top of new trends and techniques to help keep your routine fresh and fun.
2 Sin: Envy
You covet your Pilates instructor’s legs.
The seemingly perfect bodies of celebrities, friends and instructors can be motivating in the short term, but if the admiration turns into jealously, it can take your focus away from what will give you the most success-concentrating on your own body and the workout you are doing. When you have any kind of negative emotion, you literally divert your energies away from making a positive change.
Redemption: Be realistic. If you are short and curvy, you will never be as long and lean as your instructor, no matter how many hours of Pilates you perform. Think about your own shape and what’s realistic to fine-tune. For a five foot-tall women with an average frame, 100 pounds is considered by some calculations to be an ideal weight, give or take as many as 10 pounds, depending on bone density and muscle mass.
Add five pounds to this baseline for every inch above that. A little self-affirmation doesn’t hurt either. Set a goal to think of at least three wonderful things about yourself during your workout. After a while, you won’t have to focus yourself to accentuate the positive; you’ll do it automatically.
3 Sin: Gluttony
You think exercise will right all your diet and lifestyle wrongs.
Many people use exercise as an excuse to overindulge. But as healthy as exercise is, it’s not a panacea, and it certainly won’t undo bad-for-you behavior like drinking to excess, smoking or a poor diet. Plus, exercisers often overestimate how many calories they are burning, so they’re putting back on everything they’ve burned off and then some.
Redemption: Follow the 80-20 rule. Of your overall diet, 80 percent should consist of healthy foods. You can “cheat” a bit with the remaining 20 percent, but keep an eye on portion control. If you drink, do so in moderation. And smoking? Clearly not good, no matter what you’re doing in the gym.
4 Sin: Lust
You’re drooling over your instructor or personal trainer.
Surprise! This infatuation can be motivating. In fact, knowing that going to your spin class will mean seeing that hot instructor in bike shorts can make showing up at the gym at 6 a.m. less of a chore.
Redemption: Keep it clean. There’s no harm in the occasional fantasy (or even if it becomes a reality between consenting adults). But don’t let your feelings keep you from the gym when you’re not looking your best or let them affect the way you do an exercise. And no matter how good-looking an instructor is, if he’s not helping you meet your goals, you have repeated injuries or it’s all flirting and no lunging, it’s time to break up.
5 Sin: Anger
You get steamed anytime your friends outperform you.
A little healthy competition can inspire many people to try harder than they ordinarily would and achieve new goals. But if you find yourself getting irritated when your pals are better than you, or if you find yourself pushing yourself to the point of total exhaustion or injury just to win or even keep up, this competition is no longer healthy.
Redemption: Make your workouts all about you and your own results. Focus on your own progress rather that how you compare to others. Set realistic short- and long-term goals for yourself, such as completing a 10K race or performing three unassisted pull-ups, and keep a journal of your progress. Measure yourself against these goals, and as you achieve them, reward yourself with things like a new workout top or pair of shoes.
6 Sin: Greed
You have that proverbial all-or-nothing mentality.
Some people have to do it 100 percent perfectly or not at all. If they don’t have time to do their usual 90 minute power yoga class, they’ll feel like working out isn’t going to be worthwhile so they blow off exercising entirely.
Redemption: Be flexible. Design several backup workouts of varying lengths and activities that you can do whenever time is tight. You can achieve many more benefits by being flexible. Try walking to and from work or doing step-ups when you pass a bench outside or a few minutes of a workout DVD.
7 Sin: Sloth
You never miss a kickboxing class or an elliptical workout but you’re either in deep conversation with a friend or reading so intently that you barely break a sweat. Yes, some exercise id clearly better than none, but if you can chat freely or be thoroughly engrossed in the newspaper, it means you’re not working out hard enough to get the maximum benefits or your time and money worth.
Redemption: Set your priorities. If talking with your friend or catching up on your reading makes exercising more enjoyable, by all means continue-but limit these activities to your cool down when you aren’t supposed to be pushing yourself, or grab a cup of coffee after your workout and really move it the rest of the time for maximom weight loss.
The bottom line is, if you’re not getting results, you’re going to give up. And that could be the biggest sin of all. Keep it up and good luck!
Pilates for Core Strength
Until the mid 90’s the core conditioning routine that I had consisted of the typical sit up benches and military training I previously did. In an effort to expand my “toolbox” of knowledge, a Master trainer had a class certification available that included Mat, Chairs and Barrels, Reformer and the Cadillac. I was in a class with mainly women and few other guys. I stood out as the “bodybuilder” –“military bearing” posture body type upon assessment protocol.
When demonstrations were needed, looking back, it became obvious that my strength with larger muscles than my class mates, made some movements easy…but most other movements that required finesse, very difficult. To further “close me on the deal “ of Pilate’s certification, the master trainer promptly signed up with me to do some regular one on one session’s in the gym. He easily blew through the workout…with unreal total body strength. My little ego was challenged, but I signed up for the class. Several thousands of dollars later I can honestly say that Pilates is and was a very welcome add to my fitness education journey.
Many who have not experienced Pilates firsthand compare it to Yoga, and while there are some similarities with the mind-body connection, Pilates is a much more active exercise. While Yoga revolves around poses and stretching, Pilates truly relies on using your body weight for strength and conditioning moves that focus on, you guessed it, your core. Each movement is slow and controlled and will focus on the particular muscles of every part of your body. Most movements are compound in nature so that rather than focus on simply your biceps for example, an arm movement may incorporate the biceps, triceps, and shoulders as well. Some of the leg lifts, while incredibly simple in appearance, provide an amazing workout for your upper thigh and hip area, helping to further strengthen this often neglected area of your core.
There are two main types of Pilates you can choose to participate in. One is mat Pilates, which by far the most popular in which you use your body weight to move through graceful yet challenging movements to develop overall body and core strength. The other is on the Reformer, a machine with springs and pulley’s on a rolling bed supported by a rail like frame, which you use a to take you through a series of movements for shoulder and pelvic stabilizers . Both forms are incredibly challenging and provide a workout unlike any other. While performing Pilates, your body and mind can go into a meditative relaxed state because of the fluid and grace of the motions, but make no mistake, you are doing some serious exercise, and if you forget while you are doing it, your body will remind you the next day.
Because every movement in Pilates is slow, controlled, and requires steady breathing throughout, your abdominals and lower back will receive a fantastic workout. Many who try Pilates become hooked and notice immediate changes in both their strength and flexibility as well as the definition in their midsection. Originally, Pilates became a popular warm-up and stretching and strengthening tool for ballet dancers, but now, millions of people from all walks of life have taken up the practice of Pilates including martial artists, boxers, and even some of the top names in the sports of football and basketball.
One of the most beautiful things about practicing Pilates is that the gentle nature of the exercise makes it perfect for people of any age to practice. It is incredibly safe and will provide results for those ages 8 to 80, and even beyond. If core strength and development is what you are after, sit in on a Pilate’s class and discover what millions of others have: Pilates is one of the most effective core strengthening exercise programs ever developed.
Certification Personal Trainer Courses are Vital for Employment
Are you great at motivating people? Interesting in helping others make healthy lifestyle choices? Think personal training is the career for you? If so, the best way to get started beyond leading by example is to look into certification personal trainer education programs.
Anyone can profess to be a personal trainer, but quality instructors really know their stuff. This goes way beyond having an ability to motivate and inspire others. It means providing good, solid information about exercises, diet and more. It also means having a grasp on how to correctly deal with special cases, such as people who have gone through traumatic situations like car accidents, dealing with youngsters and beyond.
The best personal trainers not only know their way around a gym, they also know how to properly guide their clients into a healthier lifestyle while taking mitigating circumstances into consideration. Plus, they are adept with a multitude of training techniques ranging from basic lifting and cardiovascular workouts to Pilates, yoga and beyond. Not every form of training will appeal to individual clients, so having a range of options can make or break a personal training business.
Certification in the field is important for a number of reasons. The top, however, is it offers clients and possible employers the peace of mind in knowing they’re hiring someone who really knows his or her trade.
Personal training certification programs generally include a number of valuable lessons, all of which will greatly help the trainer down the road. Some of the top areas covered in a good training course include:
* Client assessment. How to find out where your client is health and fitness-wise. Starting a beginner on a 10-mile run a day isn’t smart, but jumping right in to that with a marathon runner might be. Knowing the difference and how to accurately assess fitness levels is very important for getting started.
* Personal trainers are there to serve their clients. Inasmuch, understanding a client’s individual goals is vital. Interview techniques are necessary to determine this. Training will help advance these skills.
* Special needs training. No two people alike and trainers need to adapt their routines to fit clients’ needs. To help trainers practice this, certification courses generally offer information on how to handle different cases as they arise. This can include elderly clients, handicapped clients or those who are recovering from surgery or even physical trauma.
* Business skills. A lot of personal trainers choose to go into their own private businesses. To do so, they need to have a background in handling the books and other nitty gritty details. Certification programs can offer valuable lessons here as well.
It’s one thing to be great at working out and motivating people, but it’s another thing entirely to take that on full-time as a career or business. To get started, the best way often is to make sure some solid training is backing you up. Lots of different situations arise during the course of a personal trainer’s career, so knowledge is key.
Training programs are vital for making sure trainers not only know the physical end of the craft, but also the business and psychological aspects, too. Plus, certification personal trainer programs also give future clients and/or employers the ability to know they are hiring a knowledgeable person for the job.
