Winter fades and Spring looms … a great time to shake things up a bit! Remember just a few short weeks ago the anticipation of a new year… a new you? Now is the time to Review, Revise and Re-Energize the focus and intent of our exercise commitments to help continue to realize the aspirations of our fitness plan. When we use the term “fitness plan” we stress the fact that this is all-encompassing, with three components: physical, nutritional, and spiritual. Spiritually fit simply means our relationship with creating balance in our lives. Are we: Getting enough rest? Taking time out for ‘you’? Do our physical activities help support our lifestyles? Nutritionally fit simply means we have to address our relationship with food; making sure we are eating as well as possible, while also concentrating on how much and how often we eat. In this article we will focus on the physical component…
Ideally we want to get the most out of our workouts and fitness activities and occasionally we need to shake things loose to tap into a new energy vein. This will help to not only enliven current routines but set the path for new fitness achievements. While the New Year began with great intentions, predictably many of us have lapsed back into old patterns. Psychologically, these lapses created a return pattern of spotty exercise and perhaps overindulgence. Problematically the magical date of renewal came and went and we find ourselves not much further along. The solution…as it has always been…is to “Just Do It”! Try anything that increases your activity. Take a walk before or after dinner. Get a workout buddy where both parties agree to hold the other accountable and encourage each other to stick with it.
Try something new and don’t be afraid to change. If an activity or class is not doing it for you keep searching to find the best fit. Set easy-to-reach goals like the ‘one minute a day’ walk where every successive day you walk you add one minute. For example, day one is one minute of walking, day two is two minutes of walking and so on, so walking 20 days out of the month will equate to a 20 minute walk on the last day. Mix it up to suit your own needs. Easy! Now get moving!
We’re all aware of different exercise ‘personalities’. The ‘Regulars’ are those still committed and often very dependable in their approach to fitness. Often ‘Regulars’ find success by introducing diversity into their workout regimens. Finding the newness in a workout is challenging simply due to the fact that our normal workouts are already a part of our program. More of the same is still better than none at all but we may need to chart some new territory.
Here are some suggestions: Schedule a onetime session with a personal trainer. Simply getting a fresh set of eyeballs on your workout routine and technique can do wonders to shake things up a bit. Or try a new group exercise class like Indoor Cycling or even better one of the great Fitness. The trick with taking on any new fitness activity is accessibility, cost effectiveness, and most importantly – challenge! A new jolt to the routine is exactly what will do a body good and the “Regulars” are prime targets for a workout spruce up.
Another exercise personality are the “Fitness Freaks”. Seen in every gym and class the freaks just keep going and going, pushing the workout harder and harder. Sweat, exhaustion and never missing a workout are their most common traits. So what could possibly be the next step for this group? The answer …STOP! Just for a week, and no this will not undo all of your hard work or turn you into a big couch blob. The body actually gains strength, endurance and stamina during the recovery phase of exercise and the continuous stress of challenging workouts can actually do more harm than good if not balanced with proper recovery phases. The body has a chance to ‘catch up’, so to speak, and the challenge for the true fitness enthusiast is achieving balance, which sometimes means just not working out. This does not mean that all activity is stopped. General activity is encouraged like biking, walking and hiking, all of which can assist the body to retain strength and reach fitness gains. For example, if your workouts have included heavy ________el of intensity is highly beneficial in the overall fitness plan. Go ahead; it’s OK to rest a little!
No matter what type of exerciser you are, changing up the routine may just be the right next step. Take an honest inventory of where you fall on the exerciser continuum, and then set reachable goals for yourself. Next, plan a strategy that will take you there by turning what you do now upside down, getting after it and making it fun. The time for change is now!
This article and subsequent articles in theWellness series are due in large part to Bret Smith’s contributions. Bret holds Bachelor Degrees in Athletic Training and Health and Physical Education. He is a Certified Personal Trainer from the National Academy of Sports Medicine. Bret began his career in Health and Fitness as an Assistant Athletic Trainer in 1992 working with high school athletes and later as a Health and Physical Education Teacher for elementary school age children. Bret’s experience includes the design of Corporate FIT Challenges and Self-Defense Seminars. Bret is currently employed as Fitness Director at Coronado Island Fitness where he leads the personal training program, which includes designing and delivering fitness plans for all generations, ranging in age from 92 years old to 16 years old. Bret provides private sector Corporate Wellness Program consulting for CaVU Consulting Inc.
For questions about the contents of this article, please contact us at: info@cavuconsultinginc.com
