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…Fitness Hacks!…

If you are like me, each day can be chaotic and full of activities from the time that I wake up until I jump into bed at nigh. There are always small things that can be done to help our busy lives run a little smoother.  This can be more helpful for those who say that “they are too busy” to workout or just have a bad habit of forgetting things that are needed to go workout (leading to another reason why people make excuses to get out of working out).

Throw out junk food

This is something that I help practice with my clients.  Is there a need for a jumbo box of Twinkies or king size package of candy bars?  Sure, your kids or significant other may enjoy these treats.  If there is no reason to have them at your house limit how many of these kinds of food you have around.  It will help by not tempting you to want to eat those things.   If you do have to have them at home try to keep them in a hard to reach place or have them hidden so you can not find them.  Until you can create your own will power to stay away from those things getting help from those around you can help you to become successful with reaching your health goals.

Have a box of food that you are trying to get out of your house? Instead of throwing it away consider donating it to a local school or food bank!

Is your favorite show on tonight? Watch it WHILE you workout

This is a trick that I personally use and I tell ALL of my clients to use.  If you have 1-3 shows that you watch each week plan your cardio time DURING those shoes. You can be on the cardio equipment and not miss your favorite episode.  It will also allow you to kill two birds with one stone!

Pack a bag

Each night before I go to bed I try to get everything ready for the next day.  This includes my workout clothes.  Getting them together allows me to double check that I have everything needed so I wont forget anything.  I will place my gym bag near the door so I will not forget it when I leave in the morning. I also keep a small “emergency fitness bag” in my trunk.  This bag has the following: ear buds (because I am always losing or forgetting mine at home), socks (you never know when you forget to grab some when you wear flip flops or tights to work), sports bra (I bought a spare sports bra and keep it in the bag because sometimes all of my workout clothes are in the washer/dryer and I need one), hair ties, and an empty water bottle. Make sure to add anything that you typically forget.

You can also follow this trip to save you space if you have to pack your gym clothes in a small bag or purse:

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Plan ahead!

Make sure to PLAN the days you want to workout AND what you want to do on those days.  Consider your workout time an important meeting that you have set with yourself.  If you have meetings for work or for other hobbies you are doing, do you plan your day/schedule around those meetings so you can attend them? Treat your gym session just as you would treat any other meeting you will schedule.

DRINK MORE WATER!

It is clear that most people are not drinking enough water. You want to make sure that you are allowing your body to get the hydration it needs! Here is a great trick that I teach my clients to use to help them drink more water:

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Take time to recover!

Although some people enjoy working out 7 days a week, it is also recommended that you allow your body to have time to recover.  This is a great time to stretch and just let your body heal! Ice packs and self heating ointment can be great things to use to help you recover.  Here are some at-home remedies that you can try on your own:

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Set realistic goals!

This is probably one of the most common mistakes.  You have to set a goal that will be reachable in a realistic amount of time. If you set goals that are hard/impossible to obtain this could contribute to you not reaching your goals. Start with a smaller goal and then gradually work towards that (adding other small goals along the way).

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…Goal Setting: Being realistic and staying motivated…

When I sit down and initially meet with a client, one of the first questions I ask them is:

Can you tell me three main objectives you would like to achieve while working with me?

Can you tell me three small goals that you would like to achieve while working towards your major goals?

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Realistically getting healthy and fit is an overall lifestyle overhaul.  You have to change the way you think, the way you live, you have to change your overall outlook on how you see yourself and how you approach each and every day.

Overall your goal should be to obtain a healthy lifestyle.  You should want to lose weight, lose inches, but most importantly you should want to learn how to live and sustain a healthy lifestyle.

Getting healthy and fit is not intended to be a quick fix.  It should not just be a 30…60…90 day challenge for you to participate in and once that timeline has gone by you go back to your old habits.  The goal should be to utilize your time to properly learn how to eat healthy, how to create a fitness schedule that works for your lifestyle, and learn how to balance your life/family/work obligations while working towards your goals.

Yes it is a great goal to start off wanting to lose 5…10…20 pounds.  But once you lose that weight what is next? You just give up because you reached your goal? While those are great goals those should be classified as SHORT term goals.  Your long-term goal should be to learn to keep that weight off while continuing to live a health and active lifestyle.

Other goals to consider adding to your list:

  • Learning to prepare healthy meals for you and your family. [This includes techniques that allow you to prepare meals for you to have throughout the week to help keep you on track and less likely to get tempted to just go and grab something at your local fast food place]
  • Creating your own workouts (and possibly your family). [This can range from scheduling active outings for you and your family, signing up for group classes at a fitness facility, hiring a trainer to help you and then learning to develop your own routine.  There are various avenues that can be taken to help you with this goal.]
  • Learning to focus NOT on the scale but on your overall health.  Your health should NOT be measured by the number that is on the scale.  [While working towards your goals it is important to look at other variables such as your body measurements or how you look/feel to help you measure your progress. ]
  • Working towards building a stronger person INSIDE and OUT. [While on your fitness journey you should aim work on all aspects of your being not just the physical aspect.  Some people seek to also doing more volunteer work or even working on broken relationships with friends/family members.  You can also work on your own emotional relationship with yourself or your spiritual relationship.]

The trick is creating GOOD goals AND realistic goals.  Realistically you can lose about 2-4 lbs a week. Some weeks you will lose no weight….and then another week you may be a rock  star and lose 3 pounds.  Regardless of how much you do/don’t lose you have to stay motivated and determined to keep pushing towards your goals.

There are so many resources for anyone to utilize to help keep you motivated and accountable for your goals.  There are free websites and forums where you can chat and get encouragement from so many people who are willing to help. No one has to go through this journey alone! Utilize your resources and it will help to keep you pushing through the hard times.

Your goals are most definitely obtainable. As long as your goals are realistic, as long as you stay consistent and persistent, and as long as you stay focused and PATIENT you will get there! Your body will not change over night! How long did it take you to get to where you are today?  It will take you some time to lose what you have accumulated over time. BUT IT CAN BE DONE!!

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…Fat loss vs. Weight Loss…

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You have to change your focus and your mindset to help you reach your goals!
Try not to focus so much on the scale number.

You should focus on your percent body fat AND how you look and feel.

The scale does not always share the progress that you have.  The scale should be something you use once a month (and no more than that!)  Some people get so caught up with the scale number so you take your focus off of quality workouts.

Some people obsess over the scale and fail to properly train or eat right because they want the scale number to go down.  YOUR BODY NEEDS FOOD!  You should not starve yourself or skip meals just to watch the scale number go down.

Just as fast as the numbers go down is the same speed that it can quickly come back.  You have to find a safe and effective balance to cut the weight and sculpt your body the way that  it should be.

Another thing is that you should make realistic goals so you can accurately achieve them in a reasonable amount of time.  You should aim to lose 1-3 pounds a week.  That is a good healthy goal to shoot for.

And the next main thing is that you need to be patient!  Consistency is key and with time you will start to see the results you have been working for!

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