Small changes can yield big results when it comes to exercise

In a previous post, we discussed ways to extend your exercise routine which will help you get more results from each workout. Doing more is a fairly obvious way to increase your results from personal training (link to Personal training page), but there are other, more subtle, ways to increase the effectiveness of your workouts that you may not have thought of previously.

Try these small changes in your workout:

- Eliminate small breaks during sets. When your trainer is watching, you are probably extremely vigilant. You get through your workout faster, and you are probably a little more tired the next day! However, on your own, you may take short rests when you start to feel tired or skip the last rep or two. Pretend your trainer is watching and don’t take those breaks or shortcuts. You will work harder and your hard work will pay off!

-  Focus on each exercise and each repetition. It is easy to get lost in your thoughts or distract yourself while working out, but focusing on each repetition and the muscles used in the movements is a great way to keep your form correct. This will reduce the chance of strain or injury while improving effectiveness.

-  Stop talking during your workouts. This is like the small breaks – if you are able to talk, you are not pushing yourself hard enough. If you can talk, you can run a little faster or use heavier weights.

-  Have a goal when you start a cardiovascular workout such as running, biking, or swimming. Maybe it is to run a certain number of miles or for a certain amount of time, or it can be just keeping up with the faster person in the lane next to you in the pool. In any case, setting a goal will help you push yourself, getting stronger each time you work out.

Add spice to your workout with these tools

Before we discuss some gadgets that will help you get more fit, it is important to understand that there is no magic machine. None of the infomercial miracle machines will truly give you the body you want without significant changes in other ways as well.

However, there are some gadgets that can make working out more productive and help you get better results from your normal routine.  This article takes a quick look at a few of our favorites.

6 Great Workout Gadgets:

-  Medicine balls: these weighted balls can be used in squats, lunges, while running, jumping, and during ab workouts to increase resistance

-  Weighted vests: a weighted vest is an easy way to make squats, lunges, and running more challenging

-  Bosu ball: a bosu ball is a great way to develop your core body muscles which will help prevent injuries and alleviate lower back pains

-   Weighted jump rope: like other weights, a weighted jump rope increases resistance and makes jumping rope more challenging

-  Stability balls: like a bosu ball, a stability ball will help you develop balance and improve your core

-  Wrist and ankle weights: an easy way to make any exercise more challenging, whether cardiovascular or basic weight training.

These workout gadgets are not a short cut to the perfect body, but they can increase the challenge posed to your body and the results you will see from your workouts. These are relatively inexpensive and once you buy them, you can use them for years to come as you maintain your body and health throughout your lifetime.

Learn how to use these tools and make them part of your personal workout routine.

Finding the right balance of nutrition and portion control

Most people understand that diet and exercise go hand in hand for healthier living, weight loss, and overall fitness. However, many people have mistaken conceptions about what eating for health and weight loss truly means.

In its simplest form, weight loss is an equation – if you burn more calories than you take in, your body will turn to its own fat stores for energy, resulting in weight loss. But in reality, the practice of smarter eating is largely misunderstood by many fitness training clients.

Less is not necessarily the goal

There are two important things to keep in mind when trying to eat smarter and improve fitness: do not skip meals, and cut out some carbohydrates when you can.

- Skipping meals is a shortcut that inevitably backfires. Although eating fewer calories can help you lose weight, skipping meals confuses your body and results in a slower metabolism. The best choice is to eat many small meals throughout the day. Aim for four to five balanced, small meals to keep your metabolism operating at maximum capacity.

- Eliminate some of the carbs from your diet. Carb-free diets are much like skipping meals, a shortcut that will not pay off over a lifetime of fitness and good health. However, an ounce of carbohydrates has more calories than an ounce of protein, so eliminating some of this calorie-dense food group from your diet will help you lower your overall calorie intake.

Better nutrition fuels fitness

Get smart about diet and nutrition and you will see better results from your fitness program. Choose healthy foods and eat regularly and your workouts will start to pay off in a big way!

Tips for getting more out of your exercise time

An easy and simple way to get more results from your workouts is to workout longer. This may seem fairly obvious, but there are several ways you can extend your workout without getting bored. Here are some things to think about as you get in shape for the warmest season of the year.

Ways to extend your workout:

- Increase the number of repetitions. If you normally do ten to fifteen reps each set, do 20 to 25 next time. If this is too hard, you can always go back to 10 or 15 for the next set. Pushing yourself harder will make your muscles work in a different way, improving the results you see from your time in the gym.

- Increase the weight or resistance. Add a few pounds to your weight training routine or increase the resistance level on the elliptical. This will push your body harder, burning more calories.

- Add cardio to the end of your workout. Another 15 or 30 minutes of cardio after weight training, yoga, or any other workout is not that difficult and will push you that much harder.

- Go faster. Or, go slower. When working with weights, changing the speed of your reps will work the same muscle in a different way, challenging it and producing results you can see.

- Change your grip. For many exercises, there are multiple options for how you hold the weight or the angle you move your muscles. By making subtle changes, you will push your body in a new way, getting more from the same movement you have been doing for months.

By extending or subtly changing your workout, you will be able to get greater results without a dramatic change in your workout routine.  If you have any questions about these suggestions contact one of our personal trainers for more information.

Tips for beating a workout plateau

It is a fairly common experience: You jump into working out. Maybe it is the first time ever, or the first time in a long time, or the first time you are trying something you heard about from a friend or magazine.

Within a week, you notice that you are feeling stronger and can see visible changes in your body. You feel excited, so you continue with your workout, but the rapid progress slows, and soon enough you feel like your workout just isn’t working anymore. This can be frustrating, but it is not a difficult problem to solve.

Here are some tips to keep seeing results from your workout:

- Change your workout every three to four weeks

- You can make a major change, such as from running to swimming to the elliptical. However, you may love running so much that it’s hard to give up, so you can simply run a different route or run your same route backwards to give your body a change.

- Try a class such as cardio kickboxing or boot camp. The trainer who leads the group will change things up enough to challenge your body differently each time you meet, allowing you to continue your normal workout on the interim days.

Don’t get frustrated

However you try to make your workout work for you, don’t get frustrated. This is not an exact science, so finding the right balance can be a challenge. Working with a personal trainer is a great way to try different ways of getting the most out of your exercise routine.