How many excuses does it take to talk yourself out of a workout?
From my experiences as a fitness coach, it doesn’t take too many! In fact, if I got a dollar for every excuse I’ve heard from clients, I’d be out of business. Yes, I said out of business. It doesn’t take long for my clients to realize I seem to always find a solution for all those inabilities to get in a workout. No gym, no motivation, no time, no worries! I have the solution to attack those lame excuses.
Heavy workloads and summer vacations are on the horizon; so making time for workouts somehow seems more challenging than the normal race to get to the gym. What to do, what to do? No, the answer isn’t to simply ax your workouts till the Fall! Instead, adopt the less is more mentality. Less time, more effective workouts.
My passion is providing my clients with knowledge, tools and motivation to help them reach their health & fitness goals. The reality is with any goal we set in life, it’s the level of commitment and effort we exert that will determine if & when we achieve success. With this in mind, I recently created a short workout video designed for my clients who swear they only have thirty minutes available for a full workout. Only thirty minutes?
No problem! My workout includes three key components for a comprehensive workout: stretching, strength and cardio.
The workout begins with a series of stretches to warm up the body.
Stretches help reduce potential for injury and increase flexibility. I constantly remind my clients to “direct your stretch.” Direct your stretch means to take control of the stretch and listen to the body. Our bodies change daily depending on how much sleep we get, water we drink and food we intake. So direct your stretch with the intention of lengthening muscle and tendons, so as not to create pain or discomfort.
The second part of the workout focuses on strength & core.
Strength training is the foundation for any total body workout regimen. Not to mention, as we ride off into our golden years, strength and core training provide multiple benefits for living an active functional lifestyle. For this workout, I demonstrated the Russian twist, push ups and bicycle crunches. I also suggested modifications to accommodate all fitness levels. You will hear me say, “engage your core” over and over. I know I probably sound like a broken record! Does anyone know what those are anymore? In other less flattering words, suck in your gut!
Next- Wrapping the workout with cardio
