Don't Put the Weights Down

Now that the weather is getting nice, you may be tempted to forgo your resistance training and head outdoors for some aerobic exercise in the fresh air.  But beware:  if you give up your resistance training, you will be giving up more than you bargained for.

Why resistance train?

Resistance training is critical for true fitness. If you aren’t building muscle, you are likely losing it. If you are 20 or older, you are definitely at risk of losing muscle. Beginning at age 20, we begin naturally losing muscle mass and the loss accelerates with each passing year. As the old cliche' goes: if you don’t use it, you lose it.

Have you ever broken your arm or leg and had to wear a cast for a few weeks?  Remember  what greeted you when the cast was removed?  Your arm or leg was a lot smaller and felt weak.  That is because just a few weeks of disuse caused the muscles to atrophy, and this is what is happening to you're body slowly over time if you don't do something gain or maintain muscle mass.

Here are some of the benefits of resistance training:

• Stops muscle loss and helps begin the rebuilding process.
•   Makes daily activities easier, from carrying groceries to rearranging your furniture.
•  Increases bone density, giving you a strong, stable skeleton.
• Improves balance and coordination.
•  Prevents decay of the pads between your bones, so that you do not hurt when you move.
•  Causes the tendons to grow deeper into your bones, reducing the chance of tearing.
•  Builds muscles which will burn more calories, even while you are resting.
• Reduces blood pressure by making your heart stronger.
•  Increases your metabolism.
•  Decreases blood sugar, which helps prevent insulin resistance (the precursor to diabetes).
• Improves your aerobic capacity:  the stronger your muscles, the better your endurance.
•  Gives you a general feeling of wellness and strength.  If you are strong, you feel strong.
• Makes you a better athlete:  there is no substitute for strength!
• Prevents the weak, frail “skinny-fat” look.
•  Raises your energy level.  The more muscle you have, the less effort you have to exert and the more energy you have available.
• Secures future protection against falls and fractures.  If you age with dense bones, strong muscles and good balance, your risk of injury plummets.
• Creates 22% more afterburn than aerobic exercise does.  (Afterburn refers to the fat and calories that your body burns in the hours after you have finished your workout.)

Still tempted to give up resistance training?

Lunch Time Sled Push

Excuses, Excuses...

Excuses. We're full of them.  We use them to explain away bad behavior or to get out of doing something we'd rather not do. Oftentimes there's no harm done. But as far as your fitness routine is concerned, making excuses can quickly turn into a slippery slope. You miss one workout this week and then two next week, before you know it you haven't exercised for a month. Once you fall out of your routine it will take focused effort to get back on track.

Here are the more popular excuses...maybe they sound familiar:

• I Don't Have Time:  Work and family obligations all seem like valid excuses as to why you can't exercise today, but don't believe it. The fact is that you can find the time to exercise, even on your busiest days. Simply sit down and schedule exercise time into your calendar.
• I Don't Have Anyone to Exercise With: Your spouse or friend committed to exercise with you three times a week, only to quit a week later. Now you are left to workout on your own...or to quit right along with them. Let's be honest, the easy thing to do is to quit rather than face the gym alone, but where does that leave you? Right back where you started-out of shape and unhappy with your body. Don't let someone else's laziness get in the way of your success.
• Another Day Won't Make a Difference: By skipping your workout today you may not wake up one size larger tomorrow, but you also won't wake up in better shape. The fact is that your current body and health are the direct result of all the little choices that you make each day. Resolve to make each choice a healthy one, and watch how your body and health are transformed.
• I'll Never Reach My Goals Anyway: It's been years since you've been in shape and the number on the scale is so large that you don't even know how long it would take to lose it all. It's easy to give up when the task at hand is overwhelming. However, I am here to tell you that you can do it. What you are facing is simply a fear of failure. What if you start exercising only to gain it all back?What if you don't have what it takes to lose the weight? Remember this: You only fail when you allow excuses to stop your progress.

Examine the why: An important step in conquering your excuses is to determine their source. Excuses are often an indication of lowered motivation. Have you forgotten your reasons for getting fit? Another common reason is boredom. Have your workouts gotten stale?

Conquer each excuse: Don't let excuses derail your goals any longer. Use these three tips and get the results that you deserve:

• Focus on the benefits. We all need a reminder every now and then as to why we started exercising in the first place. Make a list of the benefits you enjoy most and read them before your workout.
• Keep it interesting. Do you do the same thing over and over? No wonder you've started to come up with excuses. Throw your old routine out the window and try something totally new. Always keep your routine fresh-it will give you something to look forward to.
• Just Do it.  Sometimes you just have to drag yourself kicking and screaming to the gym and just get it done. Walking into the gym might feel like the last thing you want to do, but I've never heard of anyone regretting having done a workout.
• Treat yourself to Personal Training.  When all else fails, get someone to help.  A fitness professional can keep you accountable and shake up that stale routine.

It's time to stop making excuses. Don't let another day go by without making that next step toward your goals. 

PR Deadlift for Dan. Closing in on 2x bodyweight! #deadlift #barbell #weightlifting #functionalcrosstraining #fxt #bodyfocusfitness #kevs #bodyfocusfitness

via Instagram http://ift.tt/1Suc1dM

Keepin' it Goin'

In my previous post I gave you some tips on identifying and establishing goals. Now lets talk about getting started and most importantly, keeping it going.

Create momentum to reach your goals

In his book, Eat that Frog, Brian Tracy discusses the Momentum Principle of Success.  In Tracy’s words:

“This principle says that although it may take tremendous amounts of energy to overcome inertia and get started initially, it then takes far less energy to keep going.”¹
There is much wisdom in his words.  Sometimes, the hardest part of reaching a goal is just getting started.  That first day of doing things differently or the first experience of bypassing an unhealthy treat in favor of a food that will give you more energy can be daunting.  It isn’t easy and it certainly isn’t fun. 

So how do you get that momentum?  How do you start moving?  Accountability is the answer.  Having someone else involved in your efforts can be the most important factor in your success. A friend, a co-worker, a workout partner or a trainer. It is hard to change lifelong habits on your own. You need radical motivation that comes from involving others in your efforts. Setting deadlines, making commitments and entering contests can also provide an external motivation that will carry you through even the toughest temptations.And once you get started, you will find that the momentum principle kicks in and it becomes easier and easier to keep going.

Start NOW

Don't wait! Begin brainstorming ways to get others involved with you, the more people in your corner the better your odds of success. With the right accountability team in place, your goals are within your reach.J

Source:

¹Tracy, Brian (2007-01-01). Eat That Frog!: 21 Great Ways to Stop Procrastinating and Get More Done in Less Time (p. 107). Berrett-Koehler Publishers. Kindle Edition

Ready #fxt #functionalcrosstraining #bodyfocusfitness #kevs #barbell #weightlifting #olympic #usaw #oly

via Instagram http://ift.tt/1RWziDI

What Are You Aiming at?

We're well into the new year and working on New Year's resolutions is in full swing. Let's face it,
 90% of you are working on the same resolution, weight loss. And unfortunately statistics show that
 most of you are already starting to falter. However there are some simple strategies that can help.  Zig Ziglar once said, “If you aim at nothing, you will hit it every time.” And each of us knows from our own experience that he is right.  The general flow of human life tends to be toward ease and comfort.  One day flows into the next, and many of us never quite get around to turning our good intentions into reality.

Those ‘good intentions,’ while no doubt admirable, tend to remain unrealized mainly because they are too vague.  Vague ideas are impossible to focus on and aim for; they are moving targets.

Do you have moving targets in your life?  Perhaps you want to eat a more healthy diet or lose the winter weight that has crept upon you.  Maybe you just want to establish a regular workout routine and stick with it this time.

The keys to your success are two-fold:  steady the target and create momentum. 

How to stop a moving target

Imagine a target shooter trying to hit a small bull’s eye on a distant target.  He begins to aim, but then the target suddenly moves to the right, and before he can position himself to aim again, the target darts to the left.  Will he ever hit that target?  Not likely.

Without setting specific goals, your good intentions are exactly like that moving target.  You would like to lose some weight, feel a little better, make a change in your diet--but without clearly defined goals and methods, you can’t focus and make it happen.

The way to steady the target so you can finally hit the bull’s eye is to define your goals and write them down: 

·       How much weight do you want to lose? 

·       What kind of changes do you want to make in your diet? 

·       How many days per week do you want to exercise?

·       Which article of clothing do you wish would fit your body again?

·       How much weight would you like to lift while strength training?

Once you know where you want to end up, you are much more likely to get there.

PS

 Your goals are defined, and you've started moving toward your goals. How do you make sure you
 don't lose that drive to get there?

That is where momentum comes in.

In my next post, we'll talk about momentum, how to create it, and how to "keep it going".

Hammerin away #sledgehammer #hammer #gpp #fxt #functionalcrosstraining #bodyfocusfitness #kevs

via Instagram http://ift.tt/1lghmXG