How to Avoid Using Your Home Gym as a Clothes Rack
So here's the situation? You have a home gym, treadmill, elliptical trainer, or some other piece of home fitness equipment. But it's sitting in the corner of the room being used as a clothes rack. You haven't gotten any use out of it for months, and you might be thinking of selling it off. There's a reason why you initially bought this piece of equipment, and I can bet that it wasn't meant to hang your clothes on (there are much cheaper alternatives than that). It was probably along the lines of "toning up" or "losing weight" or "getting fit" and so on and so forth. You know it's probably a good idea to start exercising again, but you might be thinking: 1. "I'm too busy with (insert your reasons here), and I just don't have the time right now." 2. "I'll do it later." 3. "I'm not too sure what exercises to do." 4. "I just don't have any motivation right now. Maybe in the future when I get fired up I'll start again." 5. "I'm feeling pretty tired these days with everything going on. I'll get to it once I have some energy." But what were the reasons that made you buy this machine? How long did you actually use this machine? Why did you stop? And why aren't you using it now? What you'll do is examine your reasons why, and give you an actionable guide to get you off your couch, take the clothes off your home gym and start using it the way it was meant to be used (and start achieving your goals!) Here is a Solution? You need to set some goals, and you need to set a plan to get to those goals. That's right, just like what all the self help guru preaches, this is what you need to do. The reason why you need to set goals is that then you'll have something to work towards. And I'm not talking about some up-in-the-air, vague goals like, "I want to look toned", or "I want to lose weight". I'm talking about detailed, specific goals. Something along the lines of, "I will lose 10 pounds of fat in 60 days". Also, along with setting goals, you need to write down your "reasons why" you want to achieve this goal. Losing 10 pounds of fat in 60 days is fine and dandy, but you'll be way more motivated to exercise if you're constantly reminded that your wedding is in 60 days! Here's an acronym that will help you set and attain your fitness goals: S.M.A.R.T-R (pronounced "smarter") SMART-R stands for: S-Specific M-Measurable A-Action oriented R-Reasonable T-Timed R-Reasons why Let's go into details of each point: Specific "The more specific and measurable your goal, the more quickly you will be able to identify, locate, create, and implement the use of the necessary resources for its achievement."
-Charles J. Givens "I want to lose weight" is different from "I want to lose 10lbs of fat and gain muscle mass by doing 3-5 cardio workouts and 3-5 resistance training workouts per week at the gym over the course of the next 3 months." Your fitness goals should be detailed, clearly defined, and stress exactly what you're going to do and you want to achieve. For example, instead of setting a goal to lose weight, set a specific goal to lose 3 inches off your waist, lost 5% body fat, or lose 3 pounds of fat. Measurable "Make measurable progress in reasonable time."
-Jim Rohn If you're not keeping score, you don't know whether you're winning or losing! And keeping score is all done with numbers. Do you want to lose 3 inches off your waist? Do you want to drop down from 20% to 12% body fat? Do you want to lose 10 pounds? Whatever goal you choose, make sure that you can measure it. You need to do this so you can see and measure the progress over time. For example, losing 1 pound per week would be a goal that is measurable over time. Also, the things that you can't measure (happiness, etc.) will come along with achieving your goals. Action-Oriented "You'll always achieve more through movement than meditation"
-Gary Halbert Virtually no goals can be attained unless there's some action taken. If you plan to lose 10 pounds of body fat, you have to figure out the "action" that you need to take the attain this goal.
What resistance training exercises are you going to do?
What cardiovascular exercises are you going to do?
How often should you do them?
In this step it's helpful to recruit the assistance of a fitness professional who can provide you with their expertise and advice to help you reach your goal. Reasonable "Every noble work is bound to face problems and obstacles. It is important to check your goal and motivation thoroughly. One should be very truthful, honest, and reasonable. One's actions should be good for others, and for oneself as well. Once a positive goal is chosen, you should decide to pursue it all the way to the end. Even if it is not realized, at least there will be no regret."
-Dalai Lama Now that you might have started to think of some goals, you have to remember to keep them reasonable. Losing 30 pounds in one month is not reasonable! In fact, this could be potentially dangerous to your health and be detrimental in the long term. In this case, you would probably be losing water weight and muscle mass, and in the long run, you would gain all that weight back, and have less muscle mass (its your muscles that burn fat?the more of it you have, the more fat you can burn. But the less you have, you'll be burning less body fat). Keep your goals reasonable or you might find that you'll be putting your health at risk, or at the very least, you'll be disappointed. Timed "A goal is a dream with a deadline."
-Napoleon Hill Set a deadline. Deadlines move us to action. There's nothing worst than having a goal, working towards it, but never finishing it! It's almost like a major school project that's assigned to you. Imagine if this project didn't have a deadline, and you're asked to complete it whenever you want. Do you think you'll complete it soon? Probably not! If there's no deadline, there's no pressure to finish a task. It's the same with exercise and fitness. If you set a goal to lose 10 pounds of body fat, but you don't set a deadline, you'll probably be trying to lose 10 pounds of body fat forever! Set a deadline for your fitness goal, and try to achieve it. Once the deadline passes and you've reached your goals, set a new one and a new deadline, and strive to achieve that! Reasons Why "Some men have thousands of reasons why they cannot do what they want to; all they need is one reason why they can"
-Willis Whitney This is probably the most important step in the goal setting process. Not only is your "reason why" the motivation for you to achieve any goals, but it's probably the reason that caused you to buy a home gym or home exercise equipment in the first place! You must define your reasons for wanting to achieve a goal. If you lack clear reasons why for doing so, all the goal setting and planning might just go to waste (if you don't have a reason to do something, why would you do it?) Spend some time and give some serious thought to this step. The more compelling your reasons are for exercising, the greater your odds will be for meeting your goals. Every person has a different reason for exercising. Some people just want to lose a few inches off their waist because of an upcoming event (such as a wedding, a high school reunion, a day at the beach to impress members of the opposite sex), but for others, exercising could mean the difference between life and death. Whatever your "reasons why" may be, make sure that they're compelling, and accurately represent your reasons for your desire to achieve your goals. Some Tips To Keep On Top of Your Fitness Goals Grab a pen, a few pieces of paper, and prepare to do some writing. Use this formula to form your goals: "I, _________ (name) WILL __________________________ (specific, reasonable, and measurable goal) by doing _______________________ (action oriented) by ______________ (timed-date). I will achieve this goal because ___________________________ (insert your reason why) Signature: _________________ (your name) Today's date: _____________" Write this down and make photocopies if you want to. Now, post your goals everywhere (bathroom mirrors, in your home gym, in front of your toilet?anywhere that is highly visible), and read it everyday. The more often you come across seeing your goals in writing, the more likely it's going to be in your daily thoughts, and the more likely you're achieve your fitness goals. Remember, the journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. So, if you've been leaving your home gym equipment to collect dust or to hang your clothes on, start with the single step of writing down your goals by following the methods above. Trust me, you won't regret it. About the Author:
John Phung is a Certified Personal Training and successful writer providing valuable tips and advice about free weight exercise equipment, home gym equipment, cardiovascular training equipment and more.
Related News
|
 |
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
Invest in Your Health
What if a trusted friend were to tell you about an investment where you could not possibly go wrong...what would be your reaction? And what if there was a virtual mountain of credible information that supported the investment claims...wouldn't you be inclined to take advantage of the opportunity and not miss out on the rewards? Although the answer to these questions seems apparent, when it comes to investing in our health and quality of life we often choose to ignore what obviously works. Take for example, exercise...
Forget Exercise - Go Play
Can't seem to get the energy or motivation to exercise? Forget exercise - go play. For most of us exercise is a chore. So many people hate to exercise, or just can't get motivated to start an exercise program. If you are one of those, forget about exercise, go play.
How to Choose a Good Jogging Stroller
If you lead an active lifestyle and you want to include your new family additions in your outdoor activity then you need to consider getting yourself a good jogging stroller.
Easy and Effective Home Workouts
Many people think that creating a home workout gym is either too intimidating or too costly. So, often they instead invest their money in a health club membership not realizing that for the same amount of money (or even less) they can create a very effective gym right in their own home.
Exercise And Stress
"Stress is when you wake up screaming and you realize you haven't fallen asleep yet."
Bodybuilding Sins That Cause Back Pain and Missed Workouts: Part 4
Welcome to article number 4 in our series "Bodybuilding Sins That Cause Back Pain and Missed Workouts". In this article we are going to talk about how bodybuilders tend to create massive muscle imbalances and what you can do to not be one of them.
If you missed the first article, you can read it by clicking on the link below.
Here's a breakdown of the articles to look for:
1. Article:1 - Choosing The WRONG Exercises
2. Article:2 - Training Variations for Pain Relief and Maximum Results
3. Article:3 - Targeted Stretching
4. Article:4 - Targeted Exercises
5. Article:5 - Rest, Recovery, and Injury Prevention
Article:4 - Targeted Exercises
What is a Targeted Exercise and Why You Need To Be Doing Them?
While performing three different exercises for each area of the chest may sound "targeted" and it may work great for targeting the chest itself? this is NOT what we mean by targeted?
What we are talking about is choosing exercises with more than just size increases in mind? remember, there is far more to muscle than just how it looks? You can be really big, but also weak, slow and inflexible.
To drive this point home some more, remember the "Turtle Back Syndrome" we covered in article #1? So many body builders are plagued with this gruesome condition and they don't even know it! Are you?
The Turtle Back condition is a direct result of too much focus on building up the pecs and lats and not enough focus on the upper back. Also, the lack of focus on flexibility in the chest and shoulders makes it even worse?
Not only does this look stupid, but it sets you up for back, neck and shoulder problems like rotator cuff tears and the like? and I know you don't want any of those!
So by targeted, we mean exercises that will not just develop muscle strength and size, but more importantly work towards correcting muscle imbalances which will mean less pain and missed workouts, better performance and function, and most of all better and balanced total body development!
So How Do You Find Out Which Ones You NEED To be Doing?
As we discussed in the previous article on "Targeted Stretching", it's very important to know before hand what stretches you actually NEED to be doing? the same applies to exercises?
and the ONLY way to find out what specific areas you need to target is to perform physical evaluations so you can pin point the weak muscles that need strengthening and the tight muscles that need stretching.
We have developed a series of simple assessments you can do yourself to identify the muscles imbalances you have?
and while they are intended for people suffering from back pain or sciatica, as a bodybuilder you stand to benefit greatly because you train so hard, you are far more likely to experience injuries like bulging and herniated discs, rotator cuff tears, knee pain, etc?
Plus, even if you don't have any pain or injuries now, it would be very wise to learn how to assess yourself so you can target your training now before you create an injury, which not only will slow down your training and progress, but it can also become a life-long struggle with pain and a serious loss of your strength, size and fitness.
So be sure to check out our website to learn more about how you can quickly and easily identify and eliminate any muscle imbalances you have.
Health Tips For Busy People: Healthy Diet & Exercise In the Office
Many women's lifestyle magazines frustrate us by providing exercise regimens for work and then adding: "You can do this exercise in your office!" What about those of us who work in a cube or other small space (with no floor space for Pilates-style stretches) that's not very private (do you really want your boss to wander by right when you're doing jumping jacks?). Even if you are cube-confined, you can maintain your health in a cube.
Warning! Lack Of Exercise Could Be Harmful To Your Health
You know it's bad when the Surgeon General issues a warning that lack of exercise is hazardous to your health. And that was back in '96. Since then, the stats haven't improved much, either: 25% of the American population is still sedentary and 60% do not exercise regularly (Reference: http://www.cdc.gov).
Six Simple Strategies to Turn Your Walks into Workouts
If You are already fitness walking several times a week ? great! Now its time to step it up a bit. Here are 6 ways to turn your walks into workouts. They involve adding a little creativity but with these few simple techniques you can maximize the benefits of your walk and get more of an overall body workout.
Exercise ? More is NOT Better!
Years ago when I was a professional bodybuilder, I fell into the mindset that the more I exercised, the less fat I ate, the better I would look and feel. At the time this seemed like the logical thing to do. And maybe in my mind that was correct. However, from my body's standpoint, this was NOT the thing to do, nor was it healthy.
No Time For The Gym?
As you have undoubtedly heard, college students around the country are gaining weight at a rapid rate. A recent study by Cornell University found that on average, college freshman gain about 0.5 pounds a week, which is almost 11 times more than the average weight gain among 17-and 18-year olds and almost 20 times more than the average weight gain among American adults.
Doing vs. Performing: The Difference Between Exercising and Getting Results
Back when I was young and living on my parents' farm, there always seemed to be plenty of tasks that were reserved for the low man on the totem pole. And you guessed it. That low man was me. Picking up and piling sticks seemed to be one of my dad's favorite tasks for me, and quite frankly, it was one of my least desired jobs to do. Funny how that works. Anyway, every time my dad would tell me to go out and complete one of these undesirable tasks, I would respond with the requisite whining, complaining, and carrying-on that usually comes from a young person who is having to do something he/she doesn't want to do. Nonetheless, I would slump off and begin my task, usually in a half-assed manner. Then I would rush in and tell my dad I had completed my task. He would go out, check it, and 9 times out of 10, he would make me go back and redo, complete, or what-have-you some of aspect of my job. He would always tell me, "It is much easier to do it right the first time." This is a lesson that did not sink in until some years later. Now, however, I fully embrace my father's philosophy, in part, because on a daily basis I see the same issues/attitudes I had as a young person showing up in how people approach their exercise programs.
Get Fit From Home!
--------------------
Things Around The House
--------------------
Exercise Tips
Exercise Tips
Tone Up While at Work
I know better than anybody that sitting at a desk all day can take a toll on your body. You don't get much movement and you can get what I like to call "spread butt"
Success Versus Failure in the Exercise Department
Success is what you are prepared to make of yourself every single day. That one cold morning when you want to roll over but instead get up and go to workout, is a defining moment. Success boosts self-confidence and is self perpetuating. We all know it, thrive on it and love it.
After WLS: Walking for Wellness
Step for step, mile for mile, walking is the best cardiovascular activity you can include as part of your weight loss surgery success story. Walking is easy, accessible, inexpensive, individual and effective. It is the gold-star sport for real people with real lives. Formerly stigmatized as cheap transportation and a senior citizens' sport it is now a credible and fashionable form of exercise. And it's been around for a long time ? anthropoids stood upright and put one foot in front of the other thousands of years ago and we haven't looked back since.
Top 10 Mistakes To Avoid When Exercising the Abdominals
The abdominal muscles are essential for maintaining good posture and core stability, however many exercisers are unclear on the correct way to exercise them. Traditional exercises for the abdominals include crunches and sit-ups also known as trunk curls and curl-ups. The following are ten things to avoid when performing exercise for the abs.
What is Pilates?
Pilates is a system of over 500 controlled exercises that engage the mind and condition the total body by using a popular exercise regimen that uses special stretches and machines. Named after Joseph Pilates, Pilates exercise system has proven itself invaluable not only to the fitness user, but to the professional trainers as well. Pilates, a technique of exercise and physical movement intended to stretch, strengthen, and balance the body.
Essential Power Walking Tips
Ever since I took a power walking class in college, I have been hooked. If you are thinking about learning how to power walk, I strongly urge you to do so. It is fun and a great way to get in shape and stay healthy. Friends and family members can join in, and it ends up being a great way to bond as well. So, spend a little bit of time learning about power walking. You may find that it is just what you are looking for. We will discuss the fundamentals of power walking, as well as go over a list of the equipment that you need to get started.
|
