Exercise Before Dinner
Photo by Carl Mueller
Just before dinner is a great time to exercise. After a long day at work or home, it will perk you up and help put you in a more relaxed mood.
It won’t work if you allow yourself to get too hungry however, so make sure you grab a healthy afternoon snack or crunch on an apple a little while before you start.
Even a quick walk in the fresh air, a five-minute bike ride or a run around the park with your kids will help reduce your appetite a little and give your metabolism enough of a boost to cope with the meal to come. And you can still do this even if you did your workout earlier in the day.
Reminding yourself of your health goals in this way by deliberately doing something active before you prepare food and eat a meal gives your subconscious a nudge so you tend not to overeat so much and ruin your good intentions.
Work Out for Longer Without Noticing
Photo by mikebaird
Do you find yourself glancing at your watch every 30 seconds after a while during your cardio session? Are you just trying to get to the end without giving up? I know my eyes are often glued on the time when I go jogging to try and improve my fitness.
But there are also certain times when I don’t focus on just getting through it… sometimes I hardly notice I’m working out at all and the time goes by very quickly.
What is different about those times? Is it just that my motivation varies from one workout to another?
It seems that during the fitness sessions when the time passes quickly, distraction is the key – I am focused on something other than all the effort I’m making.
Here’s what seems to work for me…
- having something to think about. Sometimes at the start of a session I decide to think about a particular issue or topic that’s bothering me while I’m working out. Bonus is that I often come up with great ideas during that time.
- having something to listen to – whether it’s great music, a radio show or a book on CD it passes the time without it feeling like a trial
- having a companion. Mostly I work out alone but on the rare occasions I jog with someone else the session seems to go faster as we chat away 19 to the dozen
- having something to watch. The better the scenery, the more that’s going on, the more interesting the jog. This one also comes into it’s own when I work out at home in front of the TV – with a favorite show on view I often end up exercising for longer than I intended
Just a couple of things to watch out for if you decide to use distraction to keep yourself going for longer
- stay safe – make sure you are still aware of what’s going on around you – for example don’t have your music so loud that you can’t hear the traffic
- don’t forget to keep up the pace of your workout – keep checking that you are working hard enough – the best way (so you don’t have to keep reminding yourself how hard you’re working) is to use a heart rate monitor with a built-in alarm signal which will sound if you reduce (or increase) your pace outside the right zone for you.
What do you use to get yourself through a workout?
Digging for Victory : Work Out in Your Back Yard
If your garden is looking a bit jaded at this time of year get outside for a great work out this weekend as long as the weather is not too unkind.
According to Diane Irons, author of “The World’s Best-Kept Diet Secrets” (seems to be out of print but available on ebay) you can use up to 150 calories in 30 minutes with a bit of effort.
You’ll tone the following areas too
- Arms: heavy weeding and composting
- Chest: digging and hoeing
- Stomach: turning compost and raking
- Legs: raking, hoeing and digging
- Back: raking and lawn mowing
- Buttocks: weeding, digging and mowing
Just think of all that wholesome, fresh air and the sense of satisfaction you’ll get at seeing your newly tidied up garden.
And don’t forget to reward yourself with a long soak in the tub after all your hard work…
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