Wednesday, February 6, 2013

Coach Nicks Weekly - The Benefits of a Physically Active Lifestyle

   We are now in the month of February, one month after most of you have renewed your gym membership to keep up with your annual New Year’s resolution, “Signing up at the gym”. Well congratulations, you signed up. As I mentioned in last week’s blog, a solid amount of people sign up and are lost again within a month. They either fell back into their bad habits or just didn’t know what to do once they tried to start a program. My goal with this week’s blog is to help those of you who are slowly taking steps back to remember why you made this commitment to improving your physical fitness.

            One of the most important benefits of a physically active lifestyle is the positive affect it has on your attitude and behavior. It takes a very pessimistic and negative person to complete a great workout and still walk out the door with a poor attitude. I hardly ever see that happen and personally strive to make sure that does not happen with clients that I train. Physical activity and exercise are meant to serve as a positive contribution to your day. You should think of working out at the gym as a highlight of your day to either turn your bad day around or start/finish off your day strong. You need to want to be there, give it 100% when you are there, and be thinking about being there when you’re not there. It needs to be a part of your routine and a “Must-Do” when you think about what needs to get done today.

            Starting a program and keeping exercise as a part of your daily schedule really helps you stay organized. Being organized and maintaining a steady exercise regimen helps from letting you become stressed out. People who are unorganized and do not have a set schedule definitely tend to stress more about getting things done and also slack on stuff that can be put off tomorrow. I find I always do better with work when I am at my busiest and have been that way since childhood. Find your own way of staying strict with planning your day ahead of time to make room for exercise. Get involved with a group or friend to have some support from someone living what you’re living.

            Do you prefer to work out with a group, a partner, or are on your own? You can continue to keep the energy high no matter what the circumstances as long as you stay committed to your goal of having a kick-ass workout. I personally love to have a partner to keep me motivated and giving support. Having a partner or trainer with you during your workout makes it a little more competitive and motivating because no one likes to look like a wimp! If you are trying to get back into the swing of things and have a trainer you are already a step ahead because you made a commitment to have support. If you are at the gym alone and need some energy, I find it very beneficial to have an ipod with a great playlist. I tend to get in my own little world for that hour or so workout and get away from everything. This is a great way to separate yourself from your busy schedule, your kids, or anything that’s stressing you out that day.

            The number one thing your workout routines should focus on are not the things that you enjoy doing but things you need more help doing. I hear it all the time “I hate this exercise!” 9 times out of 10 the reason they hate that particular exercise is because they suck at it. I’m sorry to break this to you, to get better at an exercise means more practice. Practice that exercise until you perfect it and can be confident in completing it next time. I explain all the time that you need to be confident and optimistic going into exercises that you do not enjoy doing. You need to trick yourself into completing the exercise as if it were your favorite thing to do.

Make things fun and develop a program you can follow. Yea I can admit that most of my workouts end with me crawling or collapsing after but only because I gave it 100%. Many would find that to be excessive or a bit overboard but truthfully, I don’t give a shit. It’s how I like to train and it is what I enjoy, pushing my body to its absolute limits. People have asked me how many times a week I work out and are shocked at my answer. Most of the time throughout the year I follow a consistent 1-3 day program and it confuses people how I am still in good shape when I don’t work out every day. I go as hard as I can until my workout is completed and I don’t take my foot off the gas pedal. If more people enjoyed their workouts instead of criticizing the work of others then the gyms would be a bit more crowded with warriors and not wimps.

A program that involves you smiling and enjoying every minute of your workout is much more beneficial than going to the gym to do a program that worked for someone else because they enjoyed it. You want to be the person sweating and working hard and not the one walking around looking at things confused because you have no idea what your buddy wrote up.  Experience is important and you need to work off of your own experience in the gym to figure out what keeps you motivated. Stop borrowing workouts other people have created for themselves and develop something that is tailored towards your wants and needs.
           
              If you need help getting a kick in the butt and moving with a personal program gain some of these great benefits feel free to email me and I will work with you. nmercoun@varsityhousegym.com


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