Beat Boredom and Stay Motivated

Sometimes working out to get in shape or stay healthy just isn’t enough motivation in itself. If staying motivated to exercise is difficult for you, try new activities to beat boredom. When you are getting in shape with a group or for sport it may be easier to stay motivated. Begin with activities you enjoy or think you would like to try.

1. Join a running or walking club or start your own group with a few friends
2. Run for a cause. Get prepared for a 5k, 10k, or half marathon
3. Ask friends or co-workers about adult softball or soccer leagues and join a team
4. Find a local hiking club to join
5. Contact your local parks and recreation department to find a basketball or flag football league
6. Join a triathlon club or train for one with a few friends
7. Get out of the gym and join an outdoor boot camp class
8. Run stadium stairs at a local track with friends after work. Add push ups, lunges, and leg lifts for resistance exercise.

Which is the Best Cardio Machine to Do?

This is a question I tend to get a lot, but I cannot fully answer it without first asking for more information. First what is your goal? Do you compete in triathlons, recreational soccer, flag football or are you looking to reduce your waistline for your class reunion? Do you have bad knees or back? Do you find one machine more enjoyable than another? These things all determine which machine is best for you.

The more specific your exercise is to what you are preparing your body for, the better you’ll be prepared. For example your body gets better at running by running not getting on an elliptical or rowing machine so opt for the treadmill more often than not. If of course you are looking to drop a few pounds any form of movement is beneficial so mix it up to avoid boredom.

If you have bad knees or you are overweight and are looking for a cardio machine a stationary bike or elliptical machine work well because they keep the stress off your knees. Walking on a treadmill may be okay, but running puts more stress on the knees and may cause you pain, so limit time spent running. If your problem area is your back, the recumbent bike is a great choice because it gives you support for your back while you ride.

After you’ve addressed your specific goals and problem areas if any, it all comes down to doing something you enjoy. If you absolutely can’t stand the rowing machine, stay away from it. Don’t force yourself to do something that you don’t like because you’re less likely to stick with it. For some there is no best machine so take your exercise outdoors.

Time Crunch

Q: I work long hours and have a family and just can’t find the time for exercise. How can I finally get in shape without cutting back on work of family time?

A: You’re not alone. One of the biggest excuses for not exercising is not having enough time. With work, school, families and other activities I understand your time is limited time and you only get 24 hours each day. One simple solution is cutting back on the amount of television you watch. According to Nielsen Media Research, Americans watch an average of 4 hours 35 minutes of TV every day. You can start with just 30 minutes of exercise a day, which leaves 4 hours and 5 minutes to watch TV or be with your family. Because this is a home workout with minimal equipment you can even do this with your family.

You can easily complete this routine by doing it throughout the commercials breaks of a 30 minute television program. You can also record your favorite shows, skip the commercials and then use the extra time to exercise. Do this program before you watch and use TV as your reward for working out, just make sure to skip the commercials which will save you time. Alternate daily between day 1 and day 2.

Day 1

Commercial Break 1 – Superset 1
1A. Body weight lunges (make harder by pausing in the down position for 4 seconds)
1B. Pushups (make them harder doing the T-stabilization pushup, where you turn into a side plank between each rep)

Commercial Break 2 – Superset 2
2A. Hip Bridge (increase difficulty by adding a 4 second hold at top or doing single leg bridge)
2B. DB Row (increase difficulty by holding 4 seconds at top)

Commercial Break 3 – Superset 3
3A. Plank Hold (increase difficulty by raising one arm or leg off the ground or both)
3B. Russian Twist (add a medicine ball to challenge yourself)

For each superset do the first exercise for 8-10 reps followed by the second exercise for 8-10 reps. Repeat as many times as possible during the commercial breaks, up to 4 times each. If you’re doing the workout before your shows make sure you rest 60 seconds after you complete all your sets in each superset before moving to the next superset.

Day 2

Commercial break 1 – Superset 1
1A. Mountain Climbers
1B. Jumping Jacks

Commercial Break 2 – Superset 2
2A. Burpees
2A. Plank Hold

Commercial Break 3 –Superset 3
3A. Speed Squats
3B. Squat Hold

For each superset do the first exercise for 20 seconds followed by 20 seconds of the second exercise followed by 20 seconds of rest. Repeat as many times as possible up to 3 times for each superset.

Cross Train to Avoid Burnout

Do you find yourself doing the same exercises week after week for months on end? Do you always run for your cardio workouts and stick to free weights for strength training? Your body adapts to the stimulus you give it, so you are training your body to be good at the things you do the most. If you want to be a better runner the best exercise is running. If you are a tennis player then playing tennis and performing tennis related drills are the best ways to improve your skills on the court. Just because it is the best way to improve at a single sport, doesn’t make it the most effective way to train.

If you typically run 3-5 miles a day I’m sure you have no problem running a 5k, but let’s say some friends invite you to go mountain biking or water skiing, or full court basketball. You’ll be fine because you’re in shape right? Wrong! You’ve trained your body to do one thing, run. Your legs may not be as efficient when it comes to biking, your core muscles may not be strong enough for water skiing and your cardiovascular system, glutes, hamstrings and knees may not be ready for the sprinting and jumping of full court basketball.

Cross training is a way of training that incorporates several types of training styles. It is an excellent way to train because it conditions different muscle groups, improves skills in a variety of activities, and limits boredom by varying the exercise routines. Because of the variety it allows your body will be better prepared and perform better whether you decide go swimming, skating, or dancing.

Now, if you are a one sport athlete cross training is beneficial for you as well. It is a great way to reduce overuse injuries from repetitive motions. Think of tennis elbow, jumper knee or pitchers shoulder. These injuries all develop from repeatedly doing the same motion. Because one exercise requires different muscles and movements from the next exercise you can improve your cardiovascular conditioning and limit the stress placed on a single joint by running one day, jumping rope the next and swimming in the following workout.

Cross training also allows you to continue to workout if you become injured. If you’re an avid runner and twist an ankle you may need to stop running for a while. However to preserve your current level of conditioning you can switch to swimming or biking until the ankle heals.

There are countless options when it comes to cross training. Try exercises you enjoy to keep you motivated. Some ideas for cardiovascular conditioning are included below:

• Biking
• Swimming
• Running
• Jumping rope
• Speed and agility drills
• Skating
• Tennis and other racket sports
• Group fitness classes
• Boxing or martial arts conditioning
• Calisthenics (jumping jacks, burpees, mountain climbers)
  

In your resistance training workouts you can cross train by including:

• Body weight exercises (pull ups, push ups, dips)
• Free weights (dumbbells and barbells)
• Machines
• Cables and tubing
• Circuit training

Get Better Results in Less Time

If you want to become more productive in your daily life ask yourself “Am I making the most of my time right now?” Your goal is to get more done in less time. If you can shave 15 minutes off your daily commute by taking an alternate route or listening to an educational CD while traveling to work, you are getting more out of your time. Furthermore if you’re looking for ways to become more productive while working out, again ask yourself “Am I making the most of my time right now?” and then way the costs of time versus intensity.

Think about this, the lower the intensity of your exercise, the longer it will take you to burn calories. But the opposite is also true and can work to your advantage. If you exercise at higher intensities you will burn more calories in a shorter period of time. Look at the following example based on a 180 pound person:

Exercise Caloric Burn

Walking 4 mph for 60 minutes 323 calories

Walking upstairs for 30 minutes 325 calories

Running 5 mph for 30 minutes 325 calories

*Interval training 20 minutes 326 calories

As you can see when the intensity is increased by adding stairs or higher speeds you work harder and burn more calories in less time. Of course if you are new to exercise you may not be able to exercise for very long at higher than normal intensities. The good news is that you can start at any fitness level. If you currently walk for 30 minutes start by adding work intervals such as small hills or slow jogs for 30 to 60 seconds every 3 minutes. Gradually increase the intensity of your work intervals and decrease your rest interval time from 3 minutes to 2 minutes to 1 minute.

If you’re not a fan of walking or jogging, don’t worry this works for any exercise. As long as your intensity goes up so does your productivity.

*Interval training alternating 1 minute at 9 mph and 1 minute at 5.2 mph. One added bonus with higher intensities, such as interval training is it keeps your metabolism revved up for hours after training, so not only do you burn more calories in less time during your workout, after your workout is over you still burn additional calories, which leads to greater fat loss.

500 Crunches?

Yesterday I had a conversation with a woman who told me she does 500 crunches a day. The first thing that came to my mind was why. Is the goal solely to complete 500 reps, or is it to see abdominal definition or is the goal really to strengthen her core? The second thing that came to my mind was if she has to do 500 to feel it, she isn’t doing them right.

To properly perform abdominal crunches don’t just go through the motions. As you come up contract the abdominals hold for a second in the top position and slowly lower yourself back to the floor. Needless to say she wasn’t doing this. After asking more questions I found out this woman plays tennis three times a week and works out with a trainer twice a week to stay in shape. Her trainer should have told her she doesn’t need to do her daily 500 crunches, she needs more core strength.

If you’re truly going to work your core, then stop trying to isolate your abs. To strengthen the muscles of your core use more resistance and do the exercises the right way and move the way the body moves. Your lower back and hips are included in the core as well. To strengthen her core and improve her tennis game, I had her try full sit ups, which she could not do without complaining (due to weak hip flexors and low back), plank holds, resistance band side rotations as well as hip bridges to strengthen her glutes, hamstrings and low back. These are just a few simple exercises that can be done in minimal time and yield maximum results.

Does your workout incorporate these four movements?

1. Hip flexion - examples include: sit ups, reverse crunches, and leg lifts
2. Hip extension – examples include: hip bridges, reverse hypers, and good mornings
3. Trunk rotation – example include: side band rotations, Russian twists, and cable wood chops
4. Isometric core stabilization – examples include: plank holds, and side plank holds
   

If your goal is to increase your core strength and improve your athletic performance be sure to include the four movements into your workouts. In addition, if you want to see your abs you also need to make fat burning resistance training, high intensity interval training, and proper diet high priorities.