Having Trouble Sticking To A Fitness Program? Need Some Motivation?

Everyone needs to get a push one way or another when facing a fitness program.  The thing is that your fitness program has to fit you, and you alone.  Someone else’s motivation is not going to get you going. It just does not work that way!

Ways to Find the Motivation:

• Be aware of the benefits. Are you looking to trim inches off your waist? You tried on those summer shorts and they don’t quite fit as comfortably as they did last time.  Are you looking to fit into a special dress? Those are the benefits. Some should have long range, and some short range goals.
• Do not be afraid of making yourself a list. Write down each and every benefit that you can think of. Some may even be silly, but the point is that the list will be there for you if get to the point where you want to slack off on your fitness program.
• Exercise with a friend. “Misery loves company” is a great saying, and sometimes you will feel miserable or your friend will, and you can both help each other out and encourage each other.  But remember.  Working out does not have to be torture.  Find exercises that you enjoy.  You can also appreciate the good feelings that after you exercise.  If exercising makes you miserable then you are not doing it right for you.  See a personal trainer for ideas on what could work better for you.
• Set a goal.  Don’t forget to write down that goal.  Until it is in writing, it is a wish. When you put it on paper, it becomes a goal and you can commit to it.
• Plan a reward for yourself when you reach that goal. You could reward yourself with a trip.  Being able to travel, or going to visit friends motivates some people. If that’s the case for you, take a picture off the Internet or out of your scrapbook and put that picture where you will see it every morning.  People love to reward themselves, and this may work well for you.  Having something to look forward to can keep you driving down your road to fitness.
• Always make exercising as pleasant as possible. If that takes a MP3 player to listen to books while walking, or playing your favorite music, then that’s what you should do. However, variety is the spice of life.  The more exercises, machines and equipment you include in your fitness program, the more benefits you will receive.  For example, using each of the different types of cardio equipment in the fitness center will keep the body guessing and avoid plateaus.  It will also help you avoid overtraining or simply keeps you from getting bored.
• Wear good shoes and the proper exercise clothing. If you need special shoes, please do not hesitate to invest in some. Your feet will thank you as the rest of your body will.
• Someone who is in the know may be telling you that you need to exercise, such as your Doctor or a loved one. Loved ones are a tremendous motivator at times, for your desire to spend your “old age” with them may have made you spring to action.
• It’s truly unfortunate, but you may know someone who has died recently because they were out of shape and such. Seeing yourself in that condition may just give you the motivation to begin a fitness program.
• Motivate yourself with your own “before and after” pictures. Once you begin to see changes in yourself, it becomes easier and easier to keep motivating yourself to keep up with your fitness program.

If you want to get fit, and more importantly stay fit, you and only you can pick the motivation tips that best fit you, and once you begin to exercise, you’ll be amply rewarded to stay motivated! Whether it’s the fact that you lost pounds on pounds, or can now go up a row of stairs without huffing and puffing, or can get into that jeans you wore in college, you can have it if you find what it takes to keep you on the right track and stick to your workout commitment.

About the Author:

Rod Watson is the founder and lead Certified Fitness Trainer for Road To Fitness.  Rod and wife,Becky are the owners of Anytime Fitness Franchises in Wichita, KS and Park City, KS.  Rod can help you take charge of your health and fitness level. Learn more by visiting http://road2fitness.net

Great Tips For A Pre-Workout Meal Plan

Everyone knows that working out is good for obtaining a healthy, sexy, and strong body. Who does not want that? But what happens when you have been working out without a pre-workout meal plan? You wind up with less results and more work. Many people do not know that the foods you eat before your workout influence you the way that they do, several people have never even paid it any attention. If you eat a food high in sugar and fat, you are going to wind up crashing hard and fast. Let’s stay away from that at all costs. There are plenty of things that you are going to need to know when trying to maintain and gain muscle without losing energy or strength during a workout. First of all, you will need to know which foods are best for energy and power. You are also going to need to know which foods to avoid.

Protein is always a wonderful choice. The reason for this is because protein will not only fill you up and keep you satisfied during your workout, it will also provide a ton of energy and help maintain the muscle that you already have while you are exercising. The best time frames for consuming protein are anywhere from 30 minutes to 45 minutes directly before your workout. This will ensure that you are going to have enough energy and power during your workout in order to make it through and avoid breaking up the muscle that you are have already obtained. You will need to do it this way, especially if you are trying to build muscle mass. Your body will automatically reach for energy in the most recently applied fat stores, making it a requirement that you consume a very high energy food, like protein.

Remember to stay hydrated during, before, and after workouts. Not only is this good for your workout, it is also very safe. You do not want to get dehydrated or become overheated.

Pre-Workout Meal Tips Eat your high protein meal no longer than an hour and a half before beginning your workout. Remember, your body needs the energy, and that energy needs to still be present. Remember to avoid sugary carbohydrates and foods very high in fat before your workout. Your best sources of protein are lean meats and liquid forms such as shakes. If you would like to go with a liquid source, try whey protein powder and mixing it with skim milk. Milk slows down the digestion of protein and therefore gives you a steadier flow of energy during your workouts.  Avoid those liquid protein drinks you often find in a tube.  That’s usually too much for most people.  Often leading you to exceed your daily recommended requirements for protein. Keep your protein amounts within 30-40 grams, too much or too little can have a negative effect.

So remember, a good workout means a great pre-workout meal plan. Always remember to go with lean proteins and keep your carbohydrates reasonable. Too much sugar can send you crashing, defeating the purpose altogether. Be sure to have this pre-workout meal every time you workout. You can even experiment a little if you would like, not everybody is the same, and sometimes what works for you will not work for another person.  By the end of your workout, you will be glad you made the choice of having an energizing pre-workout meal plan and your body will love you for it.

About the Author:

Rod Watson is a retired U.S. Navy Officer, Certified Fitness Trainer, founder of Road To Fitness, LLC.  and Fitness Club owner, but most of all he is dedicated to providing you with health and fitness information to lose weight and get into the best shape of your life.  Please visit http://road2fitness.net to learn more.

Revive Up Your Heart and Burn Calories with Cardiovascular Exercise

Why should you do cardiovascular exercise? Because your heart is your most important muscle!  As many of you know, I was an engineer officer (steam and diesel) during the majority of my Navy career.  During this time I learned to appreciate the importance of conducting the required schedule maintenance on our equipment.  This preventative maintenance literally saved my departments millions of dollars and countless man hours in labor.

There are many similarities between conducting routine maintenance on my engineering systems and tuning and maintaining your body.  When we conduct the routine, preventative maintenance on the engines and support systems, we welcomed the benefits of a more efficiently running plant, fewer unexpected equipment casualties, and of course a little more maneuvering room in a tightening budget.

Your body is a machine and your heart is the engine.  Just like my engineering plants or your automobile, your body needs quality fuel (which translates to low-fat, nutritious foods) and regular checkups to keep the engine in good condition.

The heart is an incredibly complex organ. However, it is also a muscle.  It just happens to have valves and blood flowing through.  Just like any other muscle, if you don’t work it, it’s going to atrophy (that means become a sluggish mess).  Unlike the muscles in your arms, legs and throughout your body, your heart gets its workout from beating quickly for prolonged periods of time.  The heart responds to metabolic demands of your muscles. So when you are exercising and contracting your muscles in prolonged activities (cardio) such as running, jogging, walking at a brisk pace (outside your comfort zone), or cycling, you are exercising your heart.

Reviving Up the Engine Muscle By performing cardiovascular exercise, you increase the strength of your heart muscle.  Benefits of cardio are numerous.  For example, by regularly exercising your most vital muscle you can: Relieve stress and body tension Increase your overall energy Burn calories and body fat, and increase or maintain lean body mass Reduce the risk of some cancers Prevent osteoporosis Lower your blood pressure Reduce the risk of heart disease Improve your body’s metabolic efficiency Improve your ability to exercise in hot weather Live longer

If you are not including cardio in your workout, it’s time to get your heart and other muscles moving.  If you are already doing cardiovascular exercise, that’s great.  However, I have one question.  Are you mixing it up?  Too often gym members settle into their favorite machine and go at it at a steady pace.

You need variety in your cardiovascular exercise program, just as you do with your resistance training.  If you keep doing the same thing over and over again, your body adapts to the work load and will not see continued progress unless you increase the intensity or duration.  Varying the intensity is a great idea.  But, most of us don’t time to keep adding more time to your cardio workout.

If you need advice on however inject variety in your workout program.  Contact me, your Road To Fitness Certified Fitness Trainer at (316) 350-4510 or email me at road2fitness@hotmail.com.
About the Author:

Rod Watson is a retired U.S. Navy Officer, Certified Fitness Trainer, founder of Road To Fitness, LLC. And Fitness Club owner, but most of all he is dedicated to providing you with health and fitness information to lose weight and get into the best shape of your life.  Please visit http://road2fitness.net to learn more.