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Working out Hard or Hardly
Working Out?
Next time you are at your gym, look around. Pay attention to how
many people are actually getting a quality workout. Notice the lady
who is reading a book on a treadmill, the guy who is wandering
aimlessly, the young woman who is lifting weights so light you
wonder if the heavier set has been lost, and the group of guys who
look bored. If you want results, you need to commit yourself to
serious exercise.
Care about quality: Next time you are at your gym, look around. Pay
attention, how many people are really getting a good workout. Notice
the lady who is reading a book on a treadmill, the guy who is
wandering aimlessly, the young woman who is lifting weights so light
you wonder if the heavier set has been lost, and the group of guys
who look bored. If you want results, you need to commit yourself to
serious exercise. Push yourself both in aerobic workouts and weight
training, and you will see results in no time.
Log your workouts: Keep a log of your exercises and track the time,
intensity and frequency of your workouts. Don't think that if you
spent an hour walking on a treadmill, you can indulge in an ice
cream sundae.
Monitor your eating: Working out without paying attention to diet
and nutrition is like trying to drive a car with the parking brake
on; you won't easily get to where you want to be. At least 50% of
your success depends on your diet. Many people say they eat healthy,
but have you tried a food journal? Once you see what you consume
daily, you will realize what needs to change.
Change your workout: Do you do the same thing every day? Are you
good at the exercises you do? The moment an exercise becomes easy or
routine, change the weights, resistance or number of reps; or even
change the exercise altogether. If you do the same workout all the
time, you inevitably hit a plateau and stop seeing any progress.
Fix your form: Where did you learn how to do the exercises you do?
Did you look at the picture on the machine? Or did your friend show
you? Having correct form is crucial to getting results and limiting
the possibility of injury. It is best to hire a personal trainer to
teach you correct techniques that can achieve results.
Stop weighing yourself: If you're like most people, you measure your
success by your weight loss. But a better way to assess your fitness
progress is by tracking your body composition. Your personal trainer
would be able to determine the percentage of your body fat loss and
muscle gain. Cholesterol, blood pressure and energy level are other
markers of your success.
Taking the time to make the most of your workouts work for you will
provide the results you're looking for. Maybe it's your skinny
jeans? Maybe it's being able to see the outline of your muscles
under your tee shirt. Whatever your goal, when you make a real
effort, you'll get real results.
Jason Kozma owns High Performance Personal Training in Southern
California. Jason and his High Performance Team are helping
residents all over Southern California lose weight and get in the
best shape of their lives. Find out more by navigating this website.
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