Lessons On The Run

Sorry I have been away for a few days. Life gets busy sometimes. In fact, I will probably slow down the pace of the blog a little over the next month. Expect to see 2-3 posts a week unless I can find some extra time.

I promised some fitness tips last week so here comes a few. Use the ones that work for you and throw away the ones that don’t!

1. Get in a workout routine – Find a schedule that you can stick to with your workouts. What works best for you? Is it mornings, afternoons, a combo of the two. Try to workout a minimum of 3 days and even better if you can get in 5. Shoot for a minimum of 45 minutes each workout.

2. Mix cardio with strength training – The treadmill, bike, and eliptical are great, but much is to be gained by lifting weights as well. You can do strength training at the gym or with things at home like resistance bands, or exercises like push-ups that use your own weight as the resistance.

3. Set goals – I  have talked about this before but it will be very helpful if you set goals along the way. Journal your progress. An example might be run 10 miles this week on the treadmill at a 12 minute pace, or do 3 sets of 10 reps on the bench press machine at 40 pounds 3 times this week. Every couple of weeks increase your goals.

4. Invest in good shoes – You will be surprised how much better you will do (especially if you are running), if you invest in proper fitting shoes. Yes, they will cost more, but they will be worth every penny.

5. Hydrate – Your muscles need water so drink plenty of it.

6. Energize – Your body needs fuel to burn when you exercise and protein to build muscle. Look for the right nutrients to maximize your workout.

7. Make yourself sweat! – It is called a WORKout for a reason. If your routine amounts to a lazy stroll in the gym, you are not doing enough. Get your heart rate up for at least 20 minutes, and push your muscles to exhaustion. Anything less and you are cheating yourself.

Have a great week getting fit! It all starts by getting out there and going for it on a consistent basis.

gotta run,

steve