Mistake Number 6:  Not Enough Variety

Face it:  most exercise is boring, repetitive stuff.  Lift, hold, release, and then repeat over and over and over again.  Mind numbing.  Little wonder most people find it so hard to stick to a fitness routine.

If you’ve been doing the exact same exercise routine for so long that you don’t even have to think about it anymore, then you’re guilty of making this exercise mistake.

But getting bored with your exercise routine is only part of the problem.  If your routine never changes, your body quickly gets used to performing the same routine over and over again.  End result?  You stop improving.  Before long, you start noticing that even though you’re “exercising” as much as usual, you’re not losing any weight or getting any more fit.  You’ve hit a plateau.  Your body has “memorized” the routine and has optimized itself so that it expends the least amount of energy completing it.

Another problem is that constantly doing a routine that never changes can lead to injury as the exact same muscles get worked in exactly the same way every single time you exercise.

Change Up Your Routine

The obvious answer to these issues is to change up your routine.  Some ways to accomplish this include:

• Vary the exercises. If you’ve never done Yoga or boxing or any of the Martial Arts, try incorporating some of those moves into your routine.  Try adding body-weight exercises or kettle-bells instead of using weight-machines all the time.  Add in some “old school” exercises like push-ups and pull-ups.  Exercise on a balance board or Bosu ball.  In general, finding several different ways to work the same muscle groups will significantly improve the effectiveness of your workout in addition to making it much more fun and interesting.
• Vary the sequence. Instead of starting at the same machine in the gym every single time, try doing your exercises in a different sequence.  If you always start your routine doing bicep-curls, try starting with back exercises first.  Do your routine in reverse and then change it up again the next time.  Keep your body guessing as to what exercise is coming up next so that it never gets the chance to “optimize” the routine and reduce the amount of work your muscles do.  You’ll find yourself burning a lot more calories.
• Vary the intensity. Change the speed and intensity of your routine at frequent intervals.  Without sacrificing form or safety, speed up – or slow down – your routine periodically.  Alternate between heavier and lighter weights than you normally lift.  Again, keep your body guessing as to what’s coming up next.

They say that variety is the spice of life.  It’s also the key to effective workouts.  Variety keeps you from getting bored with your routine in addition to significantly increasing the efficiency of your workouts.  The only way to keep improving is to keep changing your routine in some way.

Give it a try.  You’ll see results right away!

Certified Fitness Nutrition Coach and
Personal Fitness Trainer (NESTA)

P.S.  Be sure to get my latest Fitness Blueprint called “Little Things That Improve Your Health.”  This ebook is packed with loads of helpful information on how to build a better body and you can get it FREE – for a limited time.  Just click on the title to be taken to the download page.  Enjoy!

Technorati Tags: exercise, routine, workout, weight loss, fitness, variety, weight lifting, gym

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Well, according to several studies, here is the recommended technique to use in order to optimize your weight lifting sessions:

• Optimal Number of Reps per Set:  8-15. In order to really work your muscles and promote the release of fat-burning hormones, you should only put enough weight on the bar so that you can perform between 8 and 15 repetitions.  Doing less than 8 reps doesn’t release as many fat-burning hormones and if you can do more than 15 reps, you probably don’t have enough weight on the bar.
• Optimal Number of Sets per Exercise:  2-4. Performing 2-4 sets (composed of 8-15 reps per set) will keep your hormone at a consistent, fat-burning rate.
• Optimal Rest Period Between Sets:  60 seconds. You should rest no more than 60 seconds in between sets.  Otherwise, your muscles begin to cool down and heart rate, as well as your level of fat-burning hormones, begins to drop.
• Number of Seconds to Lower Your Weights:  3 seconds. Many people simply let gravity take over and let the weight drop down to the starting position.  This is dead wrong and can actually lead to serious injury.  You may not believe it but in many exercises, your muscles actually work harder on the eccentric, or lowering, phase since they’re working against the force of gravity and trying to decelerate the weight load at the same time.  Take a full 3 seconds to slowly lower the weights back down to the starting position in a controlled manner.

Are there exceptions to this “formula?”  Of course there are.  If you’re working on building strength, you should focus on lifting heavier weights for a smaller number of reps (usually 1-2 sets of 2-3 reps) and increasing the rest period in between.  However, for people that are trying to build and tone muscle and lose a few pounds in the process, this combination should get you there in the least amount of time.

So what are you waiting for?  Head to the gym and give it a try!

Certified Fitness Nutrition Coach and
Personal Fitness Trainer (NESTA)

P.S.  Be sure to get my latest Fitness Blueprint called “Little Things That Improve Your Health.”  This ebook is packed with loads of helpful information on how to build a better body and you can get it FREE – for a limited time.  Just click on the title to be taken to the download page.  Enjoy!

Technorati Tags: weight lifting, weights, exercise, fitness, gym, health, weight loss, fat-burning

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Mistake Number 1:  The All or Nothing Approach

Most of us think of exercise as an event, something to be planned and scheduled like a lunch meeting.  And like a lunch meeting, if something comes up or if we run late, we cancel and reschedule.  In other words, we tend to take an “all or nothing” approach to exercise – we either do it (we “made” the appointment), or we don’t (we “cancel” the appointment).

I know, I know.  It’s really hard NOT to think of exercise as an event.  You DO have to prepare for it.  You’ve got to pack your gym bag making sure you’ve got clean socks, shorts, a towel, and so on.  You’ve got to change into your exercise “uniform” and make sure your MP3 player is loaded with your latest “power song.”  You’ve got to put on the weight lifting gloves or the wrist and head bands.  Geez, there’s a lot of stuff you’ve got to do before you exercise!  You can’t just run out and, what, start running?  (Remember the scene in Forest Gump when he’s sitting on his porch and decides to just get up and run?  Yeah, I know.  We can’t do that.)

It’s easy to see why so many of us skip exercise altogether just because we can’t find a clean pair of gym socks (you know the ones, the special moisture-wicking, all natural organic fiber, $30 a pair, “makes my feet feel happy” pair).  If you put so much effort into planning to exercise, you’re much more likely to forget the whole thing if any part of the planning process goes wrong.

Another problem with seeing exercise as an event is that we want to impose a start time and an end time.  We want to look at our calendar and see “Exercise 5:30 to 6:30 pm.”  We don’t want to think about exercise until 5:30 and we don’t want to think about exercise after 6:30.  We want to treat it like a dentist appointment – something we just have to do and get over as quickly as possible.  After all, you’ve got to pack all your stuff (hassle), change into your workout clothes (hassle), exercise, then shower (hassle), change into your street clothes (hassle), and then pack up all your wet workout clothes and rush home (hassle, hassle, hassle).

Little wonder we look for reasons to skip exercising.  And take it from me (a Master Excuse Maker), perfectly legitimate excuses, I mean reasons, are not hard to find.

But exercise is not an all-or-nothing event.  Exercise can be incorporated into just about any activity and research has shown that as little as 10 minutes of exercise can provide important health benefits.  It can be as simple as taking the stairs at the office or at the mall.

Other suggestions can include:

• Look for ways to incorporate exercise into your daily activities. Walking or biking to nearby places instead of driving, for example, or actually walking the dog instead of simply letting them run out the back door.
• Break up your “all-out-hard-core-sweat-a-gallon” workout session into smaller, more frequent sessions throughout the day. Lunges or squats can be done anytime, and anywhere, and don’t require any equipment.  Dropping down behind your desk and doing 10 slow-and-easy push-ups will still strengthen your arms but won’t require your usual jacuzzi-sauna-shower after-workout ritual.
• Become more active in general. Stay on your feet when taking phone calls or when reading paperwork.  Walk down the hall to talk to a coworker instead of using the phone or email.  Use resistance bands while you’re watching TV.  In short, stay off your butt as much as possible throughout the day.
• Change your attitude. Exercise is not an event, it’s a lifestyle.  It’s something that’s just part of you, not something you plan or schedule.

Nike has the right idea – Just Do It!  Forget the all-or-nothing attitude.  If something comes up and you can’t exercise for an hour like you had planned, go ahead and exercise in whatever time you have available.  Then find 10 or 15 minutes later on and exercise some more.

If you adopt the attitude that exercise is something you do rather than something you plan, you’ll soon find yourself in great shape.

Certified Fitness Nutrition Coach and
Personal Fitness Trainer (NESTA)

P.S.  Be sure to get my latest Fitness Blueprint called “Little Things That Improve Your Health.”  This ebook is packed with loads of helpful information on how to build a better body and you can get it FREE – for a limited time.  Just click on the title to be taken to the download page.  Enjoy!

Technorati Tags: exercise, fitness, balanced health, attitude, gym, weight

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Well, you’re wrong on all three counts.

According to studies in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research (NSCR), your age doesn’t really limit your body’s ability to build muscle in response to resistance training.

Now, it is true that the younger guys will show improvement in a shorter period of time (with seemingly less effort) and will maintain the muscles longer (again, with seemingly less effort – damn!), but the point is that there apparently is no such thing as “too old to exercise.”

It seems that most of the reasons people over 55 stop going to the gym tend to be more mental than physical.  So let’s tackle them head-on:

You Need to Do It

Nothing else improves your quality of life than having a strong, healthy body.  You’ll have the strength to keep up with the grand-kids in addition to having the energy to keep things up around the house.

You know the benefits:  flexibility, lower blood pressure, a stronger heart, more energy, mobility, and so on and so on.  You KNOW the benefits.  You need to do it.

Going to the Gym

Many “seniors” don’t like going to a commercial gym.  First of all, they feel really self conscious since the vast majority of people there seems to be at least 50 years younger.  Couple that with the teenagers at the front desk and the heavy metal rock music constantly blaring from the gym sound system and anybody above 50 is going to feel out of place.  Here’s some ideas to help you deal with that:

• Get over it. Realize that most people that go to a commercial gym are there for the same reason you are – to try to improve their body.  Whether that means losing weight, gaining strength or both, most people are too absorbed with their own feelings of self-consciousness to notice yours so just get over it.  Your mission at a gym is not to impress anybody.  Your mission is to go there, get a good workout, shower and get on with your life.  So do it.
• It’s actually not that bad. Once you get to the gym, you might even notice that there are other seniors there as well.  In fact, the number of gym memberships to people over 55 increased 314% from 1990 to 2005 according to the International Health and Sportsclub Association – a number that’s expected to keeps increasing.  You’ll find that many gyms have programs specifically designed to attract seniors.  Use them.
• Set up a home gym. Does the idea of going to a commercial gym bring back memories of High School gym class with all the guys on the football team laughing at how skinny your legs were?  Then set up a home gym.  All you need are a couple of basic pieces of equipment to get yourself started.  So get them.

Start and End Slowly

Don’t make the mistake most of us make and try to transform your body overnight.  Just because you could bench-press 250 pounds when you were in college doesn’t mean you can do it now — so don’t even try.  Start slow and make sure you give yourself plenty of time to warm up on the front end, and plenty of time to cool off on the back end.  Consistently is much more important than the weight load.

Also, don’t spend all your time lifting weights or doing resistance training.  Although building muscle and developing strength is important, so is balance, flexibility, and endurance.  So don’t forget to add some stretching and cardio work to your routine as well.

Take Long Walks

As you begin working your muscles, stay active.  Don’t fall for the “I-exercised-for-15-minutes-this-morning-so-now-I-can-sit-and-watch-TV-all-day-to-rest” excuse.  Best way to stay active and slowly cool off after a workout?  Take long walks — especially with your spouse or with a friend.  You’ll be surprised what comes up in conversation as well as quickly time passes.

You Need to Do It (Again)

According to the AARP (if you’re over 55, you know what this organization is – if you’re not, don’t worry about it – yet <grin>), over 90% of seniors want to stay in their homes as they age.  How are you going to do that if you don’t have the strength to open a jar of pickles or climb up a flight of stairs?  You need an exercise program that will build and maintain muscle.

So Get Started Now

As they say, “We’re not getting any younger” so get started now.

By the way, I’ve changed that old saying to “I may not be getting any younger – but I am getting better.”  It’s what I tell myself as I push myself to do one more push-up.

Quick story:  I took my grandson rollerskating last month.  First of all, the young lady at the counter was shocked when I asked for 2 tickets.  She asked me TWICE if I was going to actually get out on the floor and skate!

After my grandson and I had skated for over an hour, we were getting ready to leave.  There was a group of teens near the counter where you turned in your skates.  As I passed by, one of them said I skated pretty good and gave me a “high 5.”  How cool was that?

So get started now.  Yes, I know it’s hard work.  Yes, I know it hurts sometimes.  But being able to embarrass your grand-kids every once in a while is worth the effort!

Hiram
Certified Fitness Nutrition Coach and
Personal Fitness Trainer (NESTA)

Technorati Tags: exercise, fitness, health, senior, elderly, gym, resistance training, weight lifting, home gym

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Well, I’ve got the answer and as it turns out, the cure to this problem is pretty simple.  If you pay attention to this one principle, your workouts will be much more effective and you’ll begin to notice significant changes in your physique within 3-4 weeks.

Anyone in the medical profession can tell you that the human body is extremely adaptable.  It will usually respond to any kind of physical demand or stress, like a warehouse worker lifting heavy crates for example, by building additional muscle as well as by learning how to use those muscles more efficiently.  Eventually, the warehouse worker can lift heavy crates all day long without tiring – and develops an impressive set of biceps to prove it.

However, when we try to get those same “warehouse worker arms” in the gym, the results are usually not the same, even with all the fancy machines.  Why not?  Well, the human body can adapt pretty quickly to any change in demand placed upon it but once it has adapted, it kind of takes it easy expending only enough energy to meet the new demand.  It’s like taking your car out on the highway.  When you’re just starting out and accelerating, your engine is working really hard.  But once you’ve reached highway speeds, the engine settles down to a more constant level.

So why can the warehouse worker build massive muscle just by doing his or her job (hope you appreciate the gender neutrality )and we can’t seem to do the same in the gym?  Mainly because of the way the warehouse worker’s job is structured, which in turn is related to how often and when their body is subjected to increased physical activity.  For example, they may be sweeping the warehouse first thing in the morning until the first truck comes in to be unloaded.  Then they’re working hard for a solid hour unloading the truck before going back to the office to complete the paperwork.  An hour later, another truck comes in, only this time, the crates are different sizes and weights.

The point is that a warehouse worker’s body does not know when it will be subjected to increased demands since the trucks come in at different times.    It also gets subjected to different loads since some trucks contain crates of breakfast cereal and others contain crates of auto brake pads.  Their body is being subjected to a variety of physical demands and therefore, has to build a “strength reserve” (in other words, more muscle) in order to be able to meet the wide range of demands.

On the other hand, when we go to the gym to do our “usual” workout, our body “knows” that we’re going to do 3 sets of 10 reps using 30 pound weights.  How predictable.  So of course the body only develops enough muscle to handle exactly 3 sets of 10 reps with 30 pounds.  Once it’s done that, there’s no reason to develop any more muscle.

Changing up your routine and subjecting your body to a variety of activities so that it continues to develop is the whole idea of the “FITT principle.”  Developed by the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM), FITT stands for:

• Frequency – how often you exercise, which includes how often you rest between exercise sessions.
• Intensity – how hard you exercise.
• Time – how long you exercise.
• Type – the type of exercise you choose to do.

If you consider a typical workout routine, most of us have unconsciously kept most, if not all, of these variables constant.  We tend to go through our workout without thinking – and that means we do exactly 10 minutes on the treadmill followed by exactly 10 reps on the leg curl machine set at the exact same weight we did the last time, followed by exactly … (yawn!)

So even though we finish our workout really tired, we really didn’t build any muscle or drop any fat.  Sure, we worked some cardio so the heart and lungs might have improved, but little else.  The real key to success is to change your “routine” so that it’s anything but routine.

You do that by taking any of the FITT variables and changing them from one routine to the next.  For example:

• Frequency – instead of doing 2 hard workouts a week, do 4 easy or medium ones; or instead of going in the evening, go in the morning.
• Intensity – vary the weight or resistance from one workout to another.
• Time – slow or increase your tempo when you workout.
• Type – change the type of exercises from one workout to another.  If you always do shoulders followed by arms, switch the order.

In other words, keep your body guessing as to what kind of activity you’re going to ask it to do on every workout.  Not only will you feel like you got a more intense workout (because you did), but your body will begin to change in exactly the way you want it to change:  more tone and muscle mass in the arms and legs in addition to dropping fat around the waist and thighs.

Although you can change any of the FITT variables from workout to workout, I’d recommend changing them from week to week.  For example, focus one week on strength with heavy weights, low reps, slow concentration tempo, and using compound exercises.  The following week, focus on power with lighter weights, high reps, faster tempo, and using isolation exercises.  The next week, focus on endurance.  After 4-6 weeks of this, increase the amount of weight on each exercise by 5-10 pounds and then repeat the entire cycle.

Just as your body starts getting used to one type of routine, bam!  Hit it with a different one!  Before long, you’ll not only have the body you want, you’ll have the gym “regulars” coming by asking how in the world you did it!

Hiram
The Balanced Health Guy
Certified Personal Fitness Trainer and Fitness Nutrition Coach (NESTA)

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Here’s a tip that will help you pack more exercise into less time. Stake out 2 weight machines that work different muscle groups. For example, a machine that works legs and one that works upper body. Go ahead and do your first set of exercises using the leg machine. Now, at the end of your set, don’t just sit there! Walk over to the second machine and do one set of exercises working your upper body while your legs rest. When you’re done, walk back to the leg machine and start your second set while your upper body rests.

If the gym is really crowded and you can’t switch back and forth between machines without someone cutting in, do some calisthenics. Do your set on the weight machine, then drop down between the machines and do a couple of crunches (or squats, or push-ups or whatever — you get the idea). Whatever you do, it should work a different muscle group than the one you’re exercising on the weight machine.

So don’t just sit there! Put that resting time to good use working a different part of the body. You’ll increase your cardio level and pack in more exercise in less time. Not a bad deal!

Hiram
The Balanced Health Guy

Technorati Tags: weight training, gym, health, balanced health

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