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You have this dream, desire or goal get a specific result from your fitness
routine. Maybe you want to lose weight, get in shape or just enhance your health
and feel good. So you go to a gym, jog on a treadmill, eat right and nothing
happens, right? Or at least, it's not happening at the pace you'd prefer.
It's an all too common scenario. Far too many well intentioned fitness
seekers end up frustrated with a lack of progress and throw their hands up
before achieving their desired outcome.
Setting a goal to change your health, fitness and body is an important quest,
for sure. There are, however, a couple of hurdles you must conquer before
achieving your outcome.
If you watch any TV, you know America has fallen in love with the Biggest
Loser on NBC. Why? Simply because we are drawn into watching everyday people
make drastic transformations in a short period of time. We live in an age of
instant gratification and quick fixes and it's rather compelling watching people
lose weight in front of you week to week.
Unfortunately The Biggest Loser show paints an unrealistic picture of the
time frame in which one should expect to see such results. In other words, the
reality in this reality show is skewed. If you were sequestered in a house
supervised by personal trainers 24/7 and absent from junk food, surrounded by
exercise equipment, motivated by a quarter of a million dollars and millions of
viewers across the country, you too would probably see extreme results.
Unfortunately though, most of us have jobs, kids, responsibilities and to do
lists that simply make this scenario a remote possibility. It is just not that
easy, unless of course you get picked to be on the next season!
Remember, through a well designed fitness routine that incorporates a
constantly changing stimulus of resistance and cardiovascular training, and
eating quality foods in the right portion sizes for your goals, 1- 2 pounds of
body fat reduction per week is possible. This is what science tells us is
possible for healthy, long-term weight reduction.
Don't let reality shows, infomercials, stories from a friend of a friend, or
misinformed people set you up for disappointment if you didn't lose 5 pounds
last week.
So, if you're currently exercising and "not getting results", the solution
typically comes down to one or a combination of the following 4 key areas:
1. How's your nutrition? Of course, you
don't have to be perfect, but you do want to consistently eat a balance of lean
cuts of protein, whole grain carbohydrates and a nice mix of whole fruits and
vegetables. If a loss of body fat is a goal, then limit your simple sugars and
refined carbohydrates and strive for a small calorie deficit on most days.
(Often people wanting weight loss restrict calories too aggressively and their
attempts backfire after an initial period of perceived success - remember to
keep the deficit small to moderate.)
2. How's your resistance training? Along
with nutrition, this is an important area as it's so easy to get into a strength
training routine rut. People often get comfortable performing the same
movements, at the same resistance levels, using the same repetitions, and
performing their exercises in the same order. Here's the catch, if you're
comfortable with a routine, so too is your body and it no longer has the
stimulus to change.
Change multiple variables of your strength training every 3-4 weeks, including
your repetition ranges, resistance levels, rest between sets and exercises and
types of exercises. The goal is to continually confuse your body with a new
stimulus for optimal results.
3. How's your cardiovascular exercise?
You don't need to spend hours on a treadmill, but you do need to elevate your
heart rate sufficiently to allow your heart and lungs to enhance their delivery
of blood, oxygen and nutrients throughout your body. The good news is that you
can exchange time for intensity. Instead of 45 minutes of a steady state cardio
routine, research shows you can perform staggered, higher intensity intervals to
reap the same benefit in half the time (20 minutes).
4. How's your frequency? Although working
out twice per week can be sufficient to maintain a given fitness, health, or
body appearance, it's typically not enough to create substantial improvement.
Three to Five sessions per week with the proper intensity goes a long way in
creating significant improvements in fitness, energy and your body.
With these critical keys in hand, check your routine, make any adjustments
necessary, and I can guarantee that you'll be on your way to the positive
changes you desire!
To Learn More About 3 Professionally Designed Fitness Programs That Get Results,
Click Here!
Your friend in fitness,
Brian Calkins
HealthStyle Fitness, Inc.
phone: 513-407-4665
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