Adjusting Your Goals is the Key to Fitness Success

Getting into the gym and starting a workout plan can be a daunting task at the best of times. For the uninitiated, many exercises can be intimidating, not to mention confusing. A complete workout plan with properly executed exercises can be elusive for beginners, and it’s natural to find yourself low on motivation at first. One of the key factors to sticking to a new workout plan is setting clear, achievable goals, but every bit as important as setting those goals is adjusting them as you progress.

Your body needs time to adapt. Everybody is different, and some body types are better suited to specific exercises than others. You may have a 150lb bench press set as a goal, but for some people a bench press can cause pain or discomfort. Give your body some time to adjust and adapt, and reevaluate those goals as you progress.

Sometimes you have no choice. Setbacks happen to the best of us, and injuries can occur both in and out of the gym. A full recovery is often achievable, but an injury can be your body’s way of saying that a limit has been pushed too far. It could be the load or the type of movement, but no matter what the case workout plans and goals should be adjusted accordingly to prevent future injuries.

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Staying Fit for Life: How to Make Sure Exercise Sticks

It’s around that time of year: Gyms that were packed at the start of January are looking emptier and emptier as people already begin to abandon their new year’s resolutions. It may have started strong with the best of intentions, but why is exercising regularly so hard to keep up? Here are three ways to make sure you stick to exercising so that you can stay fit for life.

Start slowly. Perhaps one of the biggest mistakes people make when first hitting the gym is charging in guns blazing, working their muscles to the max until they can barely move. The problem is, the body hasn’t had time to adapt, and in no time that gusto will gave way to soreness and fatigue. Starting out slow and giving the body time to catch up is the only way to make sure the body adapts and accepts the new routine.

Ask yourself why. Before even hitting the gym ask yourself why you’re doing it. Is it to drop ten pounds? Or is it to make a commitment to a significant lifestyle change? Odds are if the goal is short term, the motivation won’t be there to make it work for the long haul.

Plan and schedule. It’s not enough to pop into the gym when time permits, things will get busy and your exercise time will be the first thing on the chopping block. Devoting time to exercise and making sure it takes priority is the only way to make sure the new routine sticks.

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Regular Exercise: It’s Not Just About the Physical Benefits

Exercising regularly is an important part of a healthy and balanced lifestyle, and many of us may think that’s mainly because of the physical benefits that it brings. While it’s quite true, regular exercise does provide a number of physical benefits such as a healthier body composition, better cardiovascular health, and an increase in energy, it also provides numerous mental health benefits that are every bit as important. Here are just three of the many mental health benefits of regular exercise.

Feeling better. Exercising releases endorphins, and those endorphins help contribute to better moods and just generally feeling better. Regular exercise has also proven to be helpful in treating depression and anxiety, as it can help relieve tension and stress.

Improved concentration. The same endorphins that help improve mood also help improve concentration, and that often translates to feeling sharper and more efficient at whatever task is at hand. Regular exercise also helps promote the growth of new brain cells.

Better sleep. Exercising regularly has a positive effect on our circadian rhythms, which regulate our sleep cycles, and can help prevent insomnia and generally improve quality of sleep. Better sleep translates into increased energy and mental acuity, which in turn has a beneficial effect on mood and concentration, not to mention on physical health as well.

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Easy Ways To Eat Healthier

You don’t have to look very far to find the latest fad diet, but more often than not healthier eating is a matter of getting into healthier habits. Here are two easy ways you can start eating healthier today.

Cut the carbs. It’s definitely not a matter of cutting out carbs completely. Complex carbohydrates are an important source of slow burning fuel for your body and a diet completely devoid of carbs can leave you feeling tired and listless. That said, when it comes to carbs, portion control plays a big part. It may be tempting to make a second sandwich if you’re still hungry, but those extra slices of bread constitute a lot of calories, and you may be better off supplementing with a light snack consisting of fruits and vegetables.

Your hand - the key to a healthy meal. Portion size is important, and not just when it comes to carbs. While snacking in between meals is certainly a culprit, it’s often excessive portion sizes that lead to overeating and considerably more calories consumed than we need throughout the day. But how to determine just how much food is the right quantity? The answer is just an arm’s length away. Have a look at your open hand, a good rule of thumb for a healthy meal would be a piece of protein roughly the size of your palm, with about five fingers’ worth of vegetable on the side.

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Gym Habits That Are Worth Getting Into

Exercise is vital to a balanced and healthy lifestyle, and for many of us, that means hitting the gym on the regular. But life gets busy, sometimes we skip, and even when we’re there we may not give it our all. Fear not, these three simple gym habits are well worth getting into to maximize every moment you spend at the gym.

Start with cardio. Conventional gym wisdom dictates that workouts start with warm-ups then weights, with cardio saved for the end. However, this way of thinking can often lead to cardio being skipped altogether on more tiring days. Combine that warm up with cardio to ensure your heart never misses out on the exercise it needs.

Go even if you don’t do anything. We all run low on motivation once in a while, and that’s perfectly normal. While it may be tempting to skip the gym every once in a while, that exception to your routine can quickly become a habit, and may even lead to dropping your regimen altogether. Even if you don’t have the energy to do anything, head to the gym anyway. The simple act of going will at least keep the habit routine, and may even motivate you to work out just a little.

Bring a buddy. Everything's better with a friend, and working out is no exception! Having a gym buddy will not only motivate you to push your hardest, but it will also keep you accountable for days you may be tempted to skip.

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5 Ways To Start Your Day On The Right Foot

It’s a daily struggle to get out of bed and get ready for work, especially if you don’t have some kind of routine to keep you focused. Developing a morning routine can make the difference between hitting that snooze button and actually getting up to start your day. Here are 5 things that’ll help you start your day on the right foot:

1. Hold off looking at your phone

It’s a bad habit that we’ve developed to have our phones be the last and first thing we look at in the day. There’s a lot going on in the world, but it won't go anywhere if you don’t pick your phone up right away. In fact, studies show that if you don't look at your phone 2 hours before bedtime, you’ll have a better sleep, which will help your start off your day with ease.

2. Meditate

A nice way to start the day is to take a few minutes to clear your mind and be in the now. By meditating, you allow yourself to stay focused and stress-free, which will start your day on a good note. Breathing deeply is proven to promote good circulation and mindfulness. After all, it’s just as important to have a healthy mind as it is to have a healthy body.

3. Stretching and Exercising

Of course, we know that exercising is healthy for us, but what we don't know is how it exactly helps us in the morning to move around. It actually helps our metabolism and cognitive function greatly. Stretching is also a great way to loosen your body from being still all night, thus refreshing your circulation. Your body will thank you, and you’ll feel less stiff throughout the day.

4. Drink water

By drinking a good glass of water first thing in the morning before you consume anything else, you’re actually helping to detox your body. It not only hydrates you, but it also boosts your metabolism and flushes out any toxins in your body, which will help you start your day right.

5. Have breakfast

Last but not least, having some breakfast is extremely important before starting your day out in the world. An empty stomach will just put you in a bad mood and might drag on throughout the day. By eating something in the morning, you allow your body to keep itself busy until the next meal. You’ll be less distracted, in a better mood, and you’ll feel good!

Not everybody is a morning person, but by having a good routine to live by, it’ll greatly improve not only your health but your overall outlook on life. If you want to know more about how to live a better life by working on both mind and body, try reading Healthy Mind and Body All-in-One For Dummies, by Gillian Burn. Feel free to browse through our online library, www.fittango.com, for books that suit your interests and needs!

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