Every time you hear or read the phrase "back to school," think to yourself, "back to fitness," and envision the right decisions you can make for better health. Let the endlessly repeated "back to school" messages act as a motivator to get you back on the health bus.
Unfortunately, as September passes and October is well on its way around, it becomes obvious that Summer is over! That alarm went off at 5:30 this morning and you haven't stopped running since. The last thing you want to think about is how to keep up with your fitness routine. Well, throw that "I just don't have the time" excuse out the window. Here are some tips to help you do just that:
· Chaos burns calories. Yes, you may look a little insane running around the house with your hair wet while you chase the dog that's eating your kid's lunch bag, but the good news is you're burning calories doing it.
· Drop the "all or nothing approach." Ok, so you don't have hours on end to spend in the gym working out, so what? You can make the most of the time you have during your day. See our “no gym, no workout time necessary” list for ideas.
· Brown bag lunches aren't just for the kids. Running errands all day? Pack yourself a healthy brown bag lunch to eat while you're on the go. It helps fast food look less tempting and can help keep you energized.
· Create and follow a schedule. Get everyone to school on time in less of a panic, and you may also find that adhering to a specific timed routine may uncover some small pockets of “me time.” Go for a quick walk around the block or squeeze in some basic fitness moves like push-ups and crunches. Exercise is a great energy booster, so if you can find the time, get up and get moving!
No gym? No extra workout time?
No Problem! Try these exercises today:
1. Booty Lifters: While in your car or at your desk, do glute squeezes (clenching as hard as possible - this should actually make you taller in your seat too!), holding for 30 seconds at a time. Repeat as long as possible.
2. Immediate Tummy Tuckers: Standing in line to buy school supplies for the kids? Give your middle an instant girdle by drawing your belly button into your spine. This engages your internal abdominal muscles and instantly improves your posture, making you instantly appear leaner. And no, you don't have to hold your breath to do this one, so stop making a scene.
3. Cans & Curls: Sculpt your arms and calves while you grocery shop! Grab two cans of food while you are in the aisle and pop out some bicep curls. (Getting stares from other shoppers? Pretend you’re examining the weight of each item; you know - a little comparison shopping). Once you're ready to checkout, make the most of your line waiting time and sneak in some calf raises (no one will even notice).
4. Clean Sweep Cardio: Clean the house, one item at a time. Working with a two-story house? Making several trips from the first floor to the second counts. Make several trips up and down to tidy and tighten up. No stairs? The goal is to move as much as possible, so make several trips around the ground floor and throw in some walking lunges for extra credit.
Back to school is an exciting time, so why not build upon that enthusiasm and use this time to help get back into shape?
Extra “Back To Fitness” Tips:
· Don’t Break the Habit: Avoid long breaks in exercising or rebuilding the habit will take some effort.
· Reward Showing Up: Woody Allen said that, “Half of life is showing up.” 90% of making a habit is just making the effort to get there.
· Commit for Thirty Days: Make a commitment to go every day (even just for 20 minutes) for one month. This will solidify the exercise habit.
· Make it Fun: If you don’t enjoy yourself at the gym, it is going to be hard to keep it a habit. Check out FM’s YouTube channel for exercise demonstrations to keep it interesting.
· Schedule During Quiet Hours: Don’t put exercise time in a place where it will easily be pushed aside by something more important. Right after work or first thing in the morning are often good places to put it.
· Get a Buddy: Grab a friend to join you. Having a social aspect to exercising can boost your commitment to the exercise habit, also known as a reliability partner. I hear Personal Trainers are great for this!
· X Your Calendar: Draw a red “X” through any day on the calendar that you go to the gym. The benefit of this is it quickly shows how long it has been since you’ve gone to the gym.
· Enjoyment Before Effort: After you finish a work out, ask yourself what parts you enjoyed and what parts you did not. As a rule, the enjoyable aspects of your workout will get done and the rest will be avoided. By focusing on how you can make workouts more enjoyable, you can make sure you keep going to the gym. You can keep up with these in your nutrition/workout journal by simply making a note of “likes” and “dislikes.”
· Create a Ritual: Your workout routine should become so ingrained that it becomes a ritual. This means that the time of day, place or cue automatically starts you towards grabbing your bag and heading out. If your workout times are completely random, it will be harder to benefit from the momentum of a ritual.
· Stress Relief: What do you do when you’re stressed? Chances are it isn’t running. But exercise can be a great way to relieve stress, releasing endorphin which will improve your mood.
· Measure Fitness: Weight isn’t always the best number to track. Increase in muscle can offset decreases in fat so the scale doesn’t change even if your body is. Recording simple numbers such as your body-fat %, the number of push-ups, sit-ups or speed you can run can help you see that the exercise is making you stronger and faster.
· Isolate Your Weakness: If falling off the exercise wagon is a common occurrence for you, find out why. Do you not enjoy exercising? Is it a lack of time? Is it feeling self-conscious at the gym? Is it a lack of fitness know-how? As soon as you can isolate your weakness, you can make steps to improve the situation.
· Start Small: Trying to run 15 miles your first workout isn’t a good way to build a habit. Work below your capacity for the first few weeks to build the habit. Otherwise you might scare yourself off after a brutal workout. Simply Google the concept “progression overload” and you will see exactly how.
· Go for Yourself, Not to Impress: Going to the gym with the only goal of looking great is like starting a business with only the goal to make money. The effort can’t justify the results. But if you go to the gym to push yourself, gain energy and have a good time, then you can keep going even when results are slow.
“The first wealth is health.” ~Emerson
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Keep it Fit,
Fitness Mastermind, LLC
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