Work Out Your Willpower
Willpower is discipline – it means doing what you know you should do, whether or not you feel like doing it. Wake up and choose willpower daily, and build it up like you would a muscle!
Here are some areas to focus on as you work out your willpower, from the experts at Sharp Physiques Fitness
Think short-term. Willpower can be found in your habits, so think of what you can do today to meet your goals. Focus only on your next immediate goal, whether it is building muscle, toning up or losing weight. For strength training try fitting in two sessions a week at first. Once you have that mastered, try three times a week.
Think positive thoughts. Write down all of your mini victories. Did you work out today? Write it down. Drop a pound? Jot that number down in your calendar. Did you adopt a new habit you are proud of, like eating an apple a day or doing a group exercise class? Keep a list of those wins and you will be creating your own willpower success plan.
Prepare for weak resolve. If your workday gets away from you and causes you to skip a workout, exercise the next morning instead. Prepare a plan for when your resolve isn’t high – this plan isn’t just about making healthy decisions, it’s about not getting discouraged. With a combination of planning and making healthy choices, you can keep your willpower going.
Assemble your own support team. It’s great to have a friend who can remind you of your goals, encourage you when you aren’t motivated or step up to be your exercise partner. Choose a few accountability partners and you won’t always have to drum up your willpower alone.
Use your success as rocket fuel. Finding your own success can fuel confidence in a big way. When you start to notice the positive changes you’ve made, you will be putting rocket fuel into your willpower. Soon, anything will seem possible!
Accessorize Your Workouts
You may think you only need a good pair of shoes, some breathable workout clothes and motivation to be ready for exercise, but you’ll be missing out! You can go beyond the basics and accessorize your workout with gadgets that solve small annoyances or make it easier to count calories, measure heart rate, track activity levels and stick to your healthy diet.
The experts at Sharp Physiques stress that receiving feedback on these key elements of performance can be very motivating, so you will be more likely to keep up with your workouts.
Find a wearable wonder. The BodyMedia FIT armband provides 24/7 feedback on your habits. Take the guesswork out of your weight loss by understanding the three things that make or break a healthy lifestyle: energy expenditure, energy consumption, and quality and amount of sleep.
Keep cords in check. You are listening to music to motivate your workout when your cord gets caught on your arm or on your fitness machine. Prevent wayward cords from interrupting your workouts by wearing a wrist or armband that straps your iPod to your body. Or try the CordShrink, which attaches to the clip of an iPod, allowing you to wrap any excess cord around it and keep it out of your way.
Know your heart. Real-time heart rate training can motivate you to work smarter, not harder, by offering insight on whether you are exercising hard enough to burn stored fat. Choose one that measures heart rate, tracks calories burned and notes your zones. Most heart rate monitors come with a chest strap that wirelessly transmits to a wristwatch. Polar chest straps are compatible with most Life Fitness cardio equipment. Wearing one allows you to view your real-time heart rate directly on the console.
Stay hydrated. A stainless steel refillable water bottle, available at sports and outdoor stores, helps you stay cool while you avoid spending money and wasting plastic on disposable water bottles. Stainless stays cool for hours and keeps your water tasting fresh.
Love Your Cardio Workout
When the experts at Sharp Physiques are asked which form of cardio burns the most calories, they advise that it’s whichever form the exerciser likes best – the one you ‘love’ to do is the one you will most likely stick with.
For cardio workouts, we recommend testing out the Rates of Perceived Exertion scale (RPE scale 1-10) to determine your best workout. This scale is based on how you feel throughout the workout – for example, a level 1 on your RPE scale may be sitting in a chair, while a jog or light run may be a level 7 because you’re exerting more effort.
Here are three workouts you can try out that will maximize your calorie burn on a treadmill, elliptical cross-trainer, bike or stair climber – you can adjust the incline, resistance and speed depending on your RPE scale.
WARM-UP:
5 minutes at level 3 or 4 on your RPE scale
WORKOUT #1: Steady Cardio
5 minutes at RPE level 5
20 minutes at RPE level 6-8
5 minutes at RPE level 5
Feeling good? Try maintaining your RPE level 6-8 for an additional 10 minutes.
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WORKOUT #2: Hill Climb
5 minutes at RPE level 6
5 minutes at RPE level 7
10 minutes at RPE level 8
5 minutes at RPE level 7
5 minutes at RPE level 6
Feeling good? Expand the 5-minute segments to 10 minutes each.
WORKOUT #3: Intervals
5 minutes at RPE level 5
2 minutes at RPE level 8
3 minutes at RPE level 4
2 minutes at RPE level 8
3 minutes at RPE level 4
2 minutes at RPE level 8
3 minutes at RPE level 4
2 minutes at RPE level 8
3 minutes at RPE level 4
5 minutes at RPE level 4
Feeling good? Add another 2-minute interval at RPE level 8.
COOL-DOWN:
5 minutes at level 3 on your RPE scale, and a full-body stretch
By varying your workouts you will be able to achieve your goals at a faster pace. Try changing up the suggested workouts every few weeks to keep your body guessing.
Find Your Balance
We spend our entire lives trying to keep things in balance – whether it is our checkbook, our diet, or our body. As we age, maintaining physical balance becomes more important to continuing the activities we enjoy. Here are a few tips from Sharp Physiquesto help you find your balance.
Balance is control. Think of a toddler learning to walk and gaining the balance to be able to move freely. Once toddlers learn to balance their bodies, they have better control over their movements. The importance of improving balance doesn’t change as we get older - mastering our balance allows us to maintain control of body movements and prevent injuries or falls. Just like any skill, the more you practice, the better you become.
Develop kinesthetic awareness. This means the ability to know where your body parts are within a three-dimensional space. Balance can be learned, challenged and improved. With a greater sense of your body movement patterns, you can steadily improve your balance.
Use balance-training aids. Balance training aids can help you to improve your core stability, body balance and agility. Try incorporating balance pads, discs, and Bosu Balls into your next workout. Anytime you make the surface underneath you less stable or smaller, you will have to utilize more balance.
Practice balance with your body. Start by balancing on one foot and moving your arms in circles. Can you already do that? Then stand on one foot and try to bend down and pick something up in front of you. Challenge yourself by balancing with your eyes closed – of course, always be cautious of what is around you.
Traditional lunges and squats are also good ways to test and gain your balance, as are core exercises on your balance tools. Balance is a use-it-or-lose-it technique; it’s important to practice balance at all ages.
Should You Exercise When You’re Sick?
If you exercise on a regular basis, you may eventually run into the problem of becoming sick and not knowing if you should continue your workout regimen. Here are a few tips to try out.
Do a neck-check. The standard to follow is called the ‘neck-check.’ If your symptoms are above the neck, like a runny nose or sore throat, then you’re usually okay to exercise. Always listen to your body and take the intensity of your workout down a bit if your regular pace feels too strenuous.
If you are sick below the neck, take a break from exercise. If you have any symptoms below the neck, such as body aches, chills, stomach problems or diarrhea, take it easy until you are feeling better. If you’re running a fever, no matter what your symptoms are, put off exercising until your temperature returns to normal.
You can rev-up exercise when you’re run down. If you’re suffering from congestion or low energy, exercise may help you feel better. A brisk walk can unclog your sinuses better than an afternoon on the couch. And gentle exercise can rev up your circulation to counteract that sluggish, run-down feeling.
Don’t share your sniffles. When exercising in a public setting like a gym, consider your fellow exercisers and think about how contagious you might be before you make your decision to go. If you can’t get through a single set on a weight machine without sneezing or coughing, you are better off staying away from a public gym. Your fellow gym-goers will appreciate it!
Be considerate of others and always wipe down exercise equipment after you use it; always remember to wash your hands after using hand weights and other fitness tools because many other hands have also touched them. Prevention is always the best medicine!
Couple Up For Better Workouts!
Valentine’s Day makes this the month for couples, so why not couple-up your workouts? There are benefits to partnering up with your significant other to get your daily exercise. Sharp Physiques Fitness outlines a few of them here.
You’re more likely to stick with it. If you wake up with the person who is going to turn to you and say, “When are we working out today?” you will be more likely to stick with it. Each day you have an accountable partner to keep you on track and push you a little if you are wavering.
It’s more fun. If you jog with your partner or partner-up for a yoga class, it can be fun to share the experience together. You can enjoy time together while focusing on your health – both are good for your heart!
You can challenge each other. You and your partner can have a friendly competition to keep you both motivated. See who can improve the most throughout a month’s time, or try pushing each other to test out new fitness equipment at the gym.
You can track progress together. Track how often you exercise, what you do and what progress you are making. See if you can improve each week by doing longer or more intense workouts. Consider using a tracking program like the Life Fitness Virtual Trainer App or the Nike+ Fule Band to help you share workouts with your partner, and improve together.
Coupled workouts can translate to healthier habits. If you are both doing the hard work for your physical health, you both will be more likely to eat healthy as well. When only one person in the relationship wants to eat healthy foods, it can make meal-planning a challenge.
If you are both working toward a common goal for health and fitness, it’s more likely that you will both be on the same page when it comes to the nutrition side of the equation.
So partner up and give it a try!
Keep Your Workouts Classy in 2012!
Whether your New Year’s resolution is to lose 10 pounds, or just get healthy, adding a few classes to your workout routine can keep you interested and motivated – the below classes offer targeted, low-impact opportunities to sculpt your body and help you achieve 2012 health goals.
Yoga Class
This ancient practice has become main stream, and more people are enjoying greater flexibility, better posture and overall stress relief because of it. Yoga classes can act as facilitated stretch sessions or simply a way to improve wellbeing and mental health. Explore some of the different types of yoga and see which class appeals to you.
Pilates Class
Pilates involves training the muscles to improve posture and alignment. This exercise heightens body awareness and encourages you to think about how everyday movements are performed. Movements vary from slow and controlled to fast-paced, which improves overall agility, flexibility and strength.
Yogalates Class
Can’t decide if you want to do Yoga or Pilates? Yogalates classes take some of the aspects of both of these disciplines and melds them together for overall general conditioning and balance. You will get the benefits of both the flexibility and stress relief of Yoga coupled with the core strength development of Pilates.
Try incorporating one of the above fitness classes into your 2012 exercise routine and you will begin seeing your body transform in no time!
The Link Between Food and Fitness
Most people know there is a link between food and fitness, but many people don’t realize the full importance of that relationship. If you exercise while you eat whatever you want, or you eat nutritiously without exercise, you likely won’t be getting much healthier and you won’t get the results you are seeking.
Realize exercise and diet are closely linked. You can’t lose weight consistently without healthy food and exercise habits-period. Working out intensely doesn’t mean you can eat whatever you want. Too often people overestimate calories burned and underestimate calories consumed. Establishing your “maintenance” number of calories is a good way to help determine how much you should cut back in order to start losing weight.
Keep in mind that not all calories are created equal. Choose your food wisely. What you eat affects how your body moves. Fuel your workouts with healthy carbohydrates and choose quality lean protein after your workouts. On a daily basis, choose whole grains that are minimally processed and protein-rich foods like fish, chicken, nuts, beans and low-fat dairy. And don’t forget about your veggies. Fruit is a nice little snack to have once in awhile, but you don’t need to consume it every day. Keep in mind that most of the calories in fruit are made up of sugar.
Remember that healthy eating and consuming whole, unprocessed foods is not something you do for a limited time; it’s a lifestyle. Make that commitment, and you will find your body transforming before your eyes.
When it comes to fitness, you should combine cardio exercise and strength training to see the best results. While cardio is essential to increase your heart rate up and burn calories, you also need to build and maintain your muscles. Extra muscle = more calorie burning mass.
Having more muscle boosts your metabolism so you burn more calories throughout the day, even while at rest. There are multiple ways to build your muscles, so find one you like: free weights, strength machines, resistance tools, or simply use the weight of your own body-squats, lunges, push-ups, planks and pull-ups.
Your success will depend on the choices you make each day on the two F’s-food and fitness. Make sure you choose both wisely!
A sneak peek at our new facilities
We are very pleased with the way our new facility has come together. Here are a couple of photos taken of the front desk area and men’s locker room to give you an idea of the quality and attention to detail that went into our new fitness center. Keep checking back for more photos and a full gallery on our website. Click on the pictures to enlarge.
Strike a balance
Balance is that elusive buzzword that evades most of us in our personal, spiritual, professional and physical lives. In our exercise routines, it’s not only important to find a balance between strength and cardio programs; actual balance training is an important factor that is often neglected.
Follow these tips from the experts at Sharp Physiques to achieve a strong core with proper balance training.
Try starting small, with everyday balance exercises. Stand on one foot for ten seconds without tipping over and then try the other foot. You can even practice these balance tactics while washing the dishes or brushing your teeth!
While at the gym, there is a variety of equipment that will help increase balance, including Bosu balls, stability balls and even some of the strength machines.
With a Bosu ball, you can incorporate weights into the balance program. While standing on the dome, try performing hammer curls to work your biceps or do a set of body weight squats. Try making a bench out of the Bosu ball, grab a barbell and do chest presses. You’ll feel your core stabilizers kick in as you execute these exercises.
The stability ball is also a great way to challenge your core and balance. Sit on top of the ball to do your crunches. Better yet, sit on the ball at your desk for short periods of time throughout the day to improve balance and posture.
In addition, yoga and Pilates classes offer a variety of choices in balance training. Yoga provides balance between the left/right, front/back and mind/body aspects of balance. Try a basic yoga pose like Bird Dog – get on all fours with hands directly under shoulders and knees directly under hips. Extend your left arm straight out, and right leg straight back. Your fingers and toes should be extended and the arm and leg should be parallel to the ground. Breathe deeply and elongate the body. Repeat the exercise with the opposite arm and leg to maintain a balanced stretch.
Pilates also offers effective balance and stability benefits with less impact on the joints. The Spine Twist will help improve flexibility and balance in your core. As you stretch your upper back and the muscles surrounding your ribcage, you will also strengthen the muscles at your waist allowing you to stand taller and achieve greater balance. Stand with your feet hip-width apart and arms extended out from your shoulders with slightly bent elbows. Keeping your hips facing forward, exhale and twist at the waist, then inhale to twist back to start position.
Incorporating some or all of these practices will lead to a more balanced approach your physical health. Come see the exercise experts at Sharp Physiques to get more of these helpful exercises.
