Today I want to touch on a topic that I think is important for many clients trying to meet their health and fitness goals and see results through exercise. Whether your objective is to lose weight, lower your blood pressure, get strong or improve your endurance one of the key factors involved is working out (in addition to nutrition, sleep, rest and the whole nine).

 

So let’s talk about how to exercise for success and achieve those fitness goals that are important to you!

 

Say you join a gym and come in for a session twice a week for an hour. Though your body will reap many positive benefits from working out (improved energy, circulation, cardiovascular health etc.) you will need to put in a little more time exercising to get the outcome you want. In other words you will get out what you put in (Input = Output).

 

Now, that doesn’t mean you have to go kill yourself at the gym 7 days a week, but aside from your training slots, it would be essential to perform an off-day workout (i.e. cardio) couple times a week and increase activity levels altogether.

 

It’s kind of like being back in college. If you were enrolled in a class and attended a lecture twice a week for an hour but didn’t do any homework, what do you think your final grade would be at the end of the semester? If you study for a couple hours each week the likelihood of a better grade will naturally increase. If you choose not to study at all and just attend the lectures, chances are you’re not going to become an A student.

 

Relating this back to working out, though noone is going to grade you on your exercise habits you can evaluate your plan of action if you want to attain a specific goal.

 

Our recommendation is to start slow. If you’re just beginning an exercise program or getting back into working out after a long time, starting out 2 x per week at the gym may be enough. Once you build up a base and a little endurance, you can add on to your training sessions and include an additional hour of exercise at home or at your fitness facility. Then if you’re in a habit of exercising 3 hours a week you can make another small addition and so on.

 

Another way to get add a little more sweat in to your weekly routine is to gradually increase your activity levels. This can be done through a variety of small changes and can incorporating fun! Pick an activity that will get you out and about and get after it! Whether it’s going for a hike, taking your dog for an extra walk, playing baseball with your kids outside, or taking a walk at your lunch hour, how you spend your time really matters and can add up to make significant changes.

 

With today’s technology you can even track your activity levels using various tools such as the fitbit, i-watch, your phone etc. which is a great method to become aware of your exercise habits. Many of these gadgets will let you set a daily activity goal (i.e. 3000 steps a day) so you can monitor your progress.

 

The key is to make a plan of action and progressively take small, consistent steps that will get you closer to your target objective.

 

So remember, what you do outside of the gym matters! If you really want to crush those goals and enhance the results of your program be sure to map out how you’re going to get there.

 

If you have no idea on how to get started or need additional help feel free to contact your coach at Core Principles for help, or send us an email at info@coreprinciples-sc.com.

 

Cheers!

Coach Jojo