Push Yourself to Achieve Better Results

If you want to see results with your exercise program you need to put in the effort to get the end result you are looking for. Don't just go thru the motions and hope something good will come of it. If you're currently exercising on cardio machines at a snails pace with no interest what so ever in your workout then seeing improvement can be a slow process. Furthermore if you do resistance training half heartedly with far too little intensity trying not to break a sweat or feel the burn a simple change can make all the difference. Yes going through the motions is better than doing nothing, but it may be just enough to maintain or improve very slowly.

Check your intensity. A quick and easy way to gauge your intensity level is to use a one to ten scale, where one represents little to no intensity (think laying on the couch) and ten is an all out effort. Aim to do most of your exercising in at levels 7 or above. When resistance training if you are to do 3 sets of 12 reps make sure 12 reps takes you to fatigue. If you are working with a weight you can do 15 times it's time to start using a heavier weight, the last three reps should be somewhat difficult, especially on your final set.

To start seeing results more rapidly push yourself beyond your comfort zone. This means doing more this week than last week. If last week you ran for 20 minutes at 6.0 miles per hour with no incline, this week try to increase your time to 22 minutes, your speed to 6.2 miles per hour or add an incline of 2-3%. In addition if you currently using 15 pound dumbbells for 3 sets of 10 reps try pushing out a couple of extra reps, progressing to 3 sets of 12 with the same weight or increasing your weight to 20 pounds and do 3 sets of 8 to 10 reps. You will feel the added intensity but it is so small it won't be overwhelming, just enough to push yourself past your comfort zone. Over a period of three months you can expect to see some major improvement with small increases like this.

Your Thoughts Become Your Reality

“All that we are is the result of what we have thought.” - Buddha

Do you frequently find yourself thinking that you are not good enough to get the things in life that you really want? Whether you are aware of this or not your thoughts ultimately control the outcome you get. If you think you are too busy to exercise you’ll never find the time. If you think you are too old to start working out, you’ll remain sedentary. If you can’t imagine yourself 40 pounds lighter and in the best shape of your life that reality too will escape you. You’ll find a way to skip workouts, sabotage your good eating habits and give up completely because you truly don’t believe it is possible for you. Stop letting your thoughts limit what you can or cannot accomplish.

If you want to make changes in your life, begin with changing the way you think. Stop focusing on what you don’t want and instead focus on what you do want. If your main focus is of past failures and you constantly tell yourself you can’t succeed you have already failed because you’ve made a decision in your mind that you can’t be successful. Once you’ve made that decision there isn’t a next step only defeat. However if you continuously tell yourself you can, you haven’t lost, instead you move on to figuring out what steps are necessary in order to accomplish your objective?

If you really want to get in the best shape of your life, start by believing it is possible for you. Picture in your mind what success will look like. How will it feel? Figure out what changes you need to make and follow the steps necessary to take you there. Everyday you tell yourself you can you get a little closer to realizing your dreams.

Rest, Recovery and Hard Work

If you want to see results from your workout program you must be willing to do what it takes. This means working hard and staying focused throughout your workout along with taking care of yourself outside of the gym.

You may already know how to perform your exercises properly, but if you fail to use the proper intensity pushing beyond your comfort zone you will fall short of reaching your goals. Going through the motions may only be enough to maintain your current fitness level. To start seeing improvements you’ll need to increase the level of intensity to where you are breaking a sweat during your cardio sessions and your resistance training causes your muscles to fatigue.

You’re goal for each workout should be to stay focused and work harder than your previous workout. If your mind is somewhere else while your body is in the gym you are not making the most of your time and you won’t get the result you are after. You should focus on the muscles being worked on every set and every rep of your workout. If you are doing a squat concentrate not only on lifting and lowering the weight but on contracting your quads and glutes and exhaling while you lift the weight up. If you did 12 reps of 205 pound for your last workout, then try for 13 reps at the same weight or 12 reps at 210 in an attempt to push yourself beyond your comfort zone.

Whether you’re a workaholic, a busy parent or a student with a hectic schedule it is imperative that you find time to let your body rest as recovery and regeneration are equally as important as the workout itself. This is what I call the other 23 hours of your day. You may workout for one hour daily but you must get enough sleep and eat properly to take full advantage of your efforts in the gym. Because your body recovers and rebuilds when you sleep the lack of sleep can be a huge mistake because the rebuilding process doesn’t happen and you cannot progress further.