Are you thinking about hiring a personal trainer but can’t afford or don’t want one 3 times a week? Are you motivated to workout but just need some guidance? Do you need accountability, not supervision?
A personal trainer can help. We are contractors, just like builders or financial planners. You hire us to do the job that you want done; we advise you on the best way to do it, we tell you the cost, and you hire us or not.
If the job is to get you ready and able to workout on your own, the solution may be to start out at 3 times a week with a trainer, but then taper off to once a week, then once a month, maybe even once a quarter. Since changing up the workout is important, I would advise some kind of continuing contact with your trainer, but the timing can be yours. In this case, the trainer should be transitioning to more of a coach over time, helping you to understand the basics of planning your own workouts and workout schedule to achieve your goals.
Feeling stressed? Most people do, and our response to stress can either be healthy or not. Exercise is one healthy response.
In addition to the overall health benefits of regular exercise, there are also direct stress reduction benefits as well. Any physical activity ups your production of endorphines, the feel good chemicals, while also reducing stress hormones like cortisol.
Exercise forces your attention on your movement and activity, and off of whatever is stressing you. This single-minded focus can help calm you and give you more clarity to deal with the situation later.
Regular exercise can improve your sleep, which is often disrupted by stress. And more sleep is always a good thing in this sleep-deprived society of ours.
If you haven’t been physically active, you don’t have to jump into a high level activity. Start where you can and work your way up slowly. And pick an activity that you enjoy and will stick with.
As you continue to exercise regularly, your overall health will improve, which will give you one less thing to stress over.
It can be hard to fit in everything you have to do each day. Work, family, errands, cooking, cleaning, time for fun…and, oh yeah, exercise. And exercise is usually the first thing to go when you are busy and stressed. But exercise can help reduce stress and give you more energy to get through busy times, so it is important to find ways to fit it in.
Research is showing that you don’t have to always fit in a single 60 minute workout at the gym. Would six 10-minute sessions during the day be more manageable?
And when could you do these sessions? Try getting up 10 minutes earlier in the morning for one session. Easier to do than getting up an hour earlier for a long workout, and it gets your day off to a good start. Take 10 minutes of your lunch break and fit in some exercise. And try another 10 minute session when you get home from work and change your clothes. How about a 10 minute walk after dinner for one session? And after you get home from your evening walk and sit in front of the TV? Why not fit in some microbursts of exercise? Pick from the lists below and do one or two things during each commercial break.
For a 10 minute cardio session you could do one minute each of:
jumping jacks
running/walking briskly in place (put on favorite music that is at a tempo fast enough for a good cardio workout, or go to You Tube, search for “cadence” and use some of the military cadence videos to help you keep the pace)
jumping rope either with a real jump rope, or a “pretend” one
shadow boxing
walking lunges
Repeat the circuit twice and you have a 10 minute workout completed.
For a strength building circuit you could do:
one-legged squats
bicep curls
tricep dips
crunches
push-ups
Again, do each for a minute, and repeat circuit twice for a 10 minute workout.
These are just some ideas to get you started. Think about your day and when you could fit the exercise in. Make sure you do both cardio and strength training over the course of the week, and always remember to include some regular gym workouts and personal training sessions to make sure your fitness plan stays on track.
As spring moves into summer, and the temperatures climb, you need to be aware of the risk of dehydration, and take steps to prevent it.
What is dehydration? Simply, it is when you lose more fluids than you are taking in. That means your body is operating with less water than needed for normal body functions. Dehydration can be prevented, however, and here are some tips to help.
1. Drink a lot of fluids, especially on hot, dry, and windy days.
2. Drink fluids, even if not thirsty. By the time you feel thirsty, you are already starting to get dehydrated.
3. Drink fluids before exercising.
4. Drink fluids early and often during exercising. 8-12 ounces for every 15-20 minutes of exercise are recommended.
5. Drink fluids after exercising.
6. If taking medications or over-the-counter supplements, check to see their effects on fluid retention. Some may pull fluid from the body and contribute to dehydration.
7. Wear loose-fitting clothes and a hat. These will keep the body cooler and help the body lose less fluid through sweating.
8. Avoid alcohol and drinks with caffeine in it, as these can pull fluid from the body and contribute to dehydration.
9. What is the best fluid to drink? Water is always a good choice, but check with your trainer to see if they recommend a sports drink when doing heavy exercises.
Follow these tips and help keep your body properly hydrated no matter what the conditions.
All day Thursday I fielded questions from clients and others about the Wednesday (3-24-10) Commercial Appeal story on a JAMA study that said women who exercise less than 1 hour a day gained weight, while those who did an hour or more stayed thin.
“What do you think about that?
“What’s your reaction?
“IS IT TRUE? Because I don’t have an hour a day.”
The headline was “Study: Women need exercise to stay thin”
My reaction to the headline? Well, Duh.
Look, I didn’t read the study report (boring) but I did read the abstract. Here’s what I think:
1. The women in the study were not on diets – it is easier to lose weight when you eat less than it is from exercising
2. There was no distinction between muscle and fat in the weight gained – gaining muscle is a good thing
3. The study covered moderate activity – exercising intensely would burn calories faster
4. You don’t have to do an hour all at one time – spread it out some. And it doesn’t have to be formal exercise – walking briskly for short periods or taking the stairs for 2-3 flight journeys all count
5. Time is often just an excuse – priority is the real issue. Make exercise a pleasure and a priority and you will find the time. The following day, this story was in the same paper about how a mom of 2 with a full time job found a way to exercise.
6. Other studies have consistently shown health benefits from exercise regardless of weight or weight loss, and significant benefits from losing as little as 5-10% of needed loss
Healthy Habits offers 1 to 1 personal training, partner and group fitness programs, BioMetrics nutrition and exercise plans, golf fitness and weight loss programs, post-rehab clinical exercise, and beginner and intermediate yoga classes in Memphis, TN.
Are you thinking about hiring a personal trainer but can’t afford or don’t want one 3 times a week? Are you motivated to workout but just need some guidance? Do you need accountability, not supervision?
