After all, there has to be a reason, otherwise why take the time? Exercise is action. It is the body in motion. To do this requires motivation because no one else can do it for us. With that said, if we are going to do it, don’t we want to do it right? Get the most out of our workouts? See results? Feel better? Quality counts.
So here are my best and effective workout tips of all time….
1. Exercise at least 4 days per week
More days than not during the week, your body needs to be in motion. Think of a machine. When left sitting there for long durations with no activity or attention, parts begin to rust and efficiency falters due to lack of use can occur. Your body is your personal machine. Use it or lose it as they say. You have to give your body a chance to feel good.
Exercise not only trains your health to work in your favor and on your team but allows you to improve it at the same time. Frequency is key and getting enough exercise entails 4 days to truly see results and make progress.
Although it may vary by the intensity of your exercise, doing ensures you have moved at the very least 150 minutes which the American College of Sports Medicine recommends is minimally completed each week.
2. Hire a coach or trainer
Accountability is the key and investment can often times bind the commitment even stronger. Having someone else plan and structure your workouts based upon your goals takes care of half the battle. This is also where the concept of quality comes into play.
A professional should be qualified to instruct and lead you so that you are doing what you should be doing and correctly.
This is time well spent and you will also put in more effort and energy into what exercises you are performing because the motivation and encouragement of someone else continues to drive you. Staying on track and keeping consistent are more likely to happen.
3. Eating matches exercise goals
Nutrition goes hand in hand with exercise. What you put into your body is the fuel for your exercise. Therefore, to lose weight there must be a calorie deficit. To add muscle mass, there must be adequate protein and amino acids and a balance with carbohydrates and fat.
For overall health and general fitness, poor nutrition can negate exercise and eating choices can hinder health by clogging arteries and making your heart work harder.
Some take the approach that they exercise so they can eat whatever they want, but to truly burn off or take off what calories were consumed, it can take hours to do so and multiple workouts, so it is not quite that simple.
4. Strength train 2-3 days per week
No matter what the goal, strength training is an all around beneficial activity that strengthens muscles, but also bones and wards off osteoporosis and osteopenia. To truly change and re shape the body, resistance training (strength training) must take place.
This doesn’t mean lifting as much weight as you possibly can handle, rather, it means pushing or pulling against a force causing resistance.
Your own body weight can do this, but free weights and machines are also applicable. Muscles do atrophy if you do not use them. Let’s say you have knee problems.
Strengthening the surrounding muscles can help with regaining mobility and rehabilitate the knee’s functioning. Not only this, but strength training is a huge calorie and fat burner. It requires a great amount of energy expenditure.
5. Change your exercises every 4 weeks
Adaptation is the act of getting really good at something or getting used to something so that it is no longer as difficult as when you started it. The body will not be challenged if the same exercises are repeated. Practice makes perfect so you have to shock the system and try other avenues.
This could be as simple as increasing weight, running longer or farther, doing more repetitions or less repetitions with heavier weight, changing from machines to free weights, swimming instead of hiking, the list goes on and on. Doing this every 4 week helps your exercise program reach better results for you, prevents monotony, and keeps it interesting which variety typically does for us.
There have been so many exercise fads and trends that have come and gone. The outfits and attire have changed over and over again too. No matter what type you do or what you wear doing it, exercise is as necessary as any other form of health and selfcare.
Yes, it requires effort which is what makes the motivation to do it waiver from time to time. It’s human nature to not feel like doing it some days, to sleep in instead, to go home after work instead, or just take a break form it for a while.
The trouble is that again like the trends and outfits, your body remains and needs it. Your body doesn’t come and go, so you need to find what works for you, what keeps your interest, what is attainable and realistic, and what will help you reach your goals.
As you decide these elements, keep in mind that exercise should be done at least 4 days per week, hiring a coach or trainer is recommended, to also change your eating habits, to include strength training 2-3 days per week, and to change your exercises and/or routine every 4 weeks. This blueprint will give your body the foundation to reap the quality of all the benefits exercise provides for you body.
