Take Charge of Your Fitness in the Credit Crunch
Whatever is happening in the world you know that within the next 3 months you could be as fit as Madonna if you put your mind to it, don’t you? And you can feel like a million dollars, credit crunch or no credit crunch.
All things being equal it’s better to be awash with cash than poor as a church mouse, of course. But the wealthy are often trapped in unhealthy bodies whereas you can feel on top of the world for no money at all. See 27 ways to get fit for free if you’re short on ideas on how to get fit when money is tight.
You certainly don’t need a personal trainer (but don’t let me stop you if you can afford one!) and you don’t need a gym (especially one you keep promising yourself you’ll go to but never do). The most important thing you need is motivation to just get out there and do it. And that costs nothing at all.
Being super fit is just one way of staying in control in a world which seems to have been a bit uncontrollable lately. Fitness is something you can do for yourself no matter what happens “out there”!
Exercise: The Best Thing About The End of Summer
Actually I’m not sure we had a summer this year in the U.K. but anyway – it’s definitely becoming colder, windier and wetter so winter must be coming soon.
Many of us give up exercising outdoors in winter (and I must confess that I take to the great indoors for exercise most days come November). But if you can bear to live with the initial chill of getting out your front door you will reap the many benefits of winter exercise.
And the best one?
You will burn more calories than in the summer!
The thing is you will stay cooler so that you can work flat out without getting overheated. This means your workout will feel like less effort and you will work harder. Plus keeping warm itself burns calories – so a workout which feels like less effort (because you stay cool) will actually burn more calories than in the summer.
For the best effect, wear layers which you can take off as you warm up and start with just enough clothing so that when you go outside you feel cool but not so cold you’re shivering while you do your warm up.
If getting out there is a major deal in cold or wet weather, time management coach Mark Forster has a great trick for that. He motivates himself by setting a goal just to Get Outside
No Time to Get Fit?
I read in the local newspaper yesterday that the US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice gets up at 4am to go to the gym.
No wonder she looks so good at 53.
It’s not that she is any different to anyone else. As she says
“Like everybody, I get up some mornings and think “I can’t do it” and then I think “Sure you can, because you won’t feel alert if you don’t”"
Although you might think being featured regularly in the media might give you the motivation to stay in shape, (and I’m sure that would work well for me – vanity prevails) the same can’t be said of some stars who get in and out of shape with alarming regularity. Don’t they care when a million people see their flab over breakfast? I sure would.
If you know getting up at 4am is not an option, yet you’re so busy it’s the only time you can see free in your schedule, why not take a look at my Fitness in No time program because 10 minutes, three times a week and a simple home routine is all you really need to get in shape.
Maybe Condoleezza should try it for those days when matters of State get in the way?
Easy Fitness Motivation Tip
I have found this fitness motivation tip to be easy but also very effective for my clients (and it works for me every time too!)
If you’re trying to start a daily fitness habit then the best thing you can do if buy a large paper calendar and a big thick black marker pen and pin it up on your wall where you will be able to see it often.
Then every day you do your workout (or other good habit – whatever you’re trying to achieve) take your marker pen and put a big cross through the day.
After a row of crosses you are not going to want to leave a gap.
Aim for 30 crosses in a row – miss one and you have to start right back at the beginning.
If at all possible put your calendar up where co-workers or family will see it. They’ll ask about it and that will help spur you on too!
Nike+ Ipod – great for fitness motivation
My niece just came back from a long weekend in New York with a great gizmo for running – a nike + ipod sport kit
Apparently these have been around for a while and the whole thing has just passed me by. (Well, I AM in a non-running phase just now)
For once the technology seems pretty easy to master even for those of use still working out how to record something on the VCR long after everyone else has moved onto Tivo or Sky+
Anyway this kit my neice bought has a sensor to fit in your Nike+ shoes and then a receiver to plug into your ipod nano (has to be a nano) and away you go running.
Actually though my niece has these anyway, you don’t really need the expensive shoes just something to fasten the to them that you can buy for next to nothing (see here for a shoe pouch
Once you get going, your ipod nano tracks your running time, distance, pace and calories burned and at the end of your workout you can transfer your workout data to itunes and nikeplus.com to and see your progress in full color and graphic detail. You can get voice alerts during your workout too where the music neatly fades in and out around the alert.
Online you can set challenges, goals and resolutions to keep you motivated.
But the best thing is downloading upbeat music to keep you going – there are special selections at itunes and my niece has a great victory song she uses every time. As she says “I ran 7 miles yesterday because of my ipod – I never did that before”.
Definitely worth checking out if you are a runner. You can buy the Ipod Nike+ kit at Amazon
Work Out for Longer Without Noticing
Make Fitness More Fun! Find a Friend!
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?
Sporadic Running
Every year or so I decide to get fit by running rather than whatever I am doing at the time (like walking or rebounding or stepping or nothing).
Last year, I even trained for a 5K race and enjoyed the whole training and event.
At the end of the race I would even say I was euphoric what with all the spectators clapping and the happy hormones kicking in.
And then after the race I never ran again.
What’s the problem then with running being a regular part of my fitness routine?
Well, it seems that no matter how gradually I train, how well cushioned and fitted my shoes, how good my running style, I end up with sore ankles and sometimes knees.
And that’s just running 3 times a week for 30 minutes. At times (although not all the time) I get so sore that I can’t even walk properly and am out of action for a few days at least.
And so that creates a bit of a conflict.
You see fitness for me is about being healthy not just fit and I suspect that running is not actually that good for me.
After a while, of course, I forget about the injuries, the slightly warmer and less rainy weather of spring returns and running starts to look like a good idea again.
So if you hear I’ve taken up jogging again don’t be surprised. But also don’t be too shocked to hear I have given up again after a few months despite all the motivation tricks I know about “just doing it”.
I have a confession to make…
My Confession? I have never been a happy exerciser.
There, I’ve said it.
I hate going out in the cold and rain. I hate getting all sweaty and puffing and panting. And I’d rather lie on the sofa with a glass of red wine than go out for a country walk.
That’s my big, dark secret – after all, maybe you’d expect better from a Weight Loss, Health and Fitness coach wouldn’t you?
Or maybe not…
You see I love the feeling of being on top of the world, full of energy, strong, fit and healthy that exercise and healthy living in general do for me. That means I have to motivate myself with every trick in the book to achieve what I want to achieve. And I am constantly looking for new ways to get myself to stay active and “Just Do It”. I also know every excuse my clients will use – because quite honestly I’ve used them all myself at one time or another. I know how to deal with every obstacle.
If you are made of sterner stuff and love nothing better than spending hours in the gym, you may want to learn from someone who is more naturally enthusiastic about it all – I won’t hold it against you 
Just be aware, I am not going to be giving you hints on how to spend half your day working your abs to perfection.
Still, you may find a useful tip or 5 here for those days when you are less than enthusiastic…
Fitness Tip 7 : Monitor Only Your Own Progress
You can see the insecure gym-goers a mile off – taking more notice of what everyone else is doing, how much weight they are shifting, how fast they are going on the treadmill, rather than focusing on getting on with their workout.
But the thing is, bodies are all different so there’s no point comparing yourself to others even if you are doing the same routines or trying to achieve the same goal.
The only thing which counts is that you are making a consistent effort with your workouts. If you make the effort and follow a good program you will see progress in your body – you will be getting fitter, leaner, stronger and more flexible day after day.
It takes motivation to keep going when the going gets tough – to turn up and “just do it” as the saying goes when you are tired or busy or just don’t feel like it.
The best way to keep up your motivation is by monitoring your progress. Make notes on every workout and what you achieved in a fitness log and you’ll see that your consistent effort is giving you results. The very worst way to keep motivated is to continually check your progress against Mr or Mrs Universe at the gym.
There will always be someone better (or worse) than you, but any comparison other than a comparison of last week’s, last month’s or last year’s with today is totally worthless to you.
Fitness Tip 4 : Every Workout Counts
Creating a great body takes a lot of self discipline. If you have the attitude that it doesn’t matter if you can’t be bothered to do your scheduled workout one day, you’ll quickly find that another time a day becomes a week and a week a month.
You see, you’re either disciplined and determined or you’re not.
Every missed workout feeds your self image with the idea that you’re someone who can’t stick to a simple program, even a program that will benefit you so much.
On the other hand, every time you keep to your workout schedule your self image and esteem gets a boost – you are someone who can be relied on.
Sticking to your program helps reinforce all those good feelings you get from working out. It becomes a positive cycle of reinforcement leading to more discipline and more of the results you are seeking from exercise – all of which will continue to keep you motivated for the long haul.
Muscle movement by muscle movement, step by step, workout by workout you will be reaching your goals.
So try not to miss even one workout unless you have no choice whatsoever. It’s those “Can’t be bothered” “Too busy” “Don’t have time” excuses which will eat up your motivation and self-esteem not the “I had to take my sick child to hospital so I couldn’t get to the gym” type real reasons for missing a session.
For all this to make any difference at all you actually have to have a fitness program to follow (see Fitness Tip 1 : Have a Plan) – otherwise you’re just drifting and then it really doesn’t matter whether you turn up or not.
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