This article is for advanced athletic enthusiasts and is not intended for beginners or people just starting a new workout program.
If your workouts have started getting easier on you, that means you're getting into better shape but this comes with a price: adaptation.
Your body is smart. It adapts. It conserves.
You see, as your cardiovascular endurance improves, so will your ability to endure longer workouts. If your goal is weight loss or loss of body fat, then this comfortable zone is NOT where you want to be. You're going to need to throw your body a curve ball from time to time. You absolutely HAVE to mix it up. You're going to have to keep tripping up your body into thinking that it needs to burn its fat stores and this isn't easy.
We all get into a routine during our workouts. There are similarities with being too comfortable in your workout and getting into a adaptable routine. We all like to hop onto the same equipment and do the same exercises, the same way, until our time is up for that session and then we go home. Sure, you're going to sweat but if you want to take your workout to the next level, then you need to trick your body into thinking that something different is happening...something UNEXPECTED.
Here are some tips to trick your body into losing more weight and losing body fat.
Increase Intensity
You should be DOG TIRED after your workout session. Now, I'm not talking just mildly tired, but totally spent. Give yourself a few minutes to warmup but after that, the gloves need to come off. Since we don't want to over-exert ourselves, we need to use a heart rate monitor to make sure that we stay perfectly in our target heart rate zone, plus, you won't have to grab the handles on the cardio machines anymore to get your heart rate. This frees up your hands to play your MP3 player's best songs, turn the pages in a magazine, or mimic a more natural feeling range-of-motion with your arms. If you're a treadmill runner, a heart rate monitor is a must since grabbing the heart rate handles is nearly impossible while running.
Increase Duration
Most of us average about 30 minutes on cardio equipment. This isn't enough. Kick it up to 60 minutes, then 90, then do a double session on weekends. Play for keeps. Of course, don't try and jackup to 90 minutes on your first double day, step it up moderately.
Increase Frequency
Football players do daily doubles to get into awesome shape. Not all of us have the schedule during the weekdays to do a double session but you should be able to make time on the weekend. Space your workouts 12 hours apart and put in a double session for those 2 days. If your rest day falls on a weekend, change your rest day to a weekday.
Finally, it's important to realize that these tips are guidelines, not blueprints. Your times will vary, your intensity will vary, and your endurance capabilities will vary. Never push yourself to a point to where you don't feel well. It's okay to suspend your ultra-intense sessions if you think you're going at it too hard.
Get your specially tailored fitness workout designed for you by our personal trainers.
Weight LOSS is the most common response to "what's your fitness objective". Personal health management is simply NOT easy nor is there one specific approach that guarantees success!
At East Side and West Side Athletic Clubs we'd like to, for once and for all, eliminate the often heard MYTH "trainers simply cannot relate to me; they don't know what it's like to carry extra weight around nor to endure the misery of a poor self image." NOT TRUE says our staff!
Shannon Forrester, cycling instructor, lost 95 pounds in 14 months.
Stephanie Miller, certified personal trainer, lost 93 pounds in 24 months.
Sean Denicola, certified personal trainer, lost 100 pounds in just 12 months.
Michelle Goodman, certified group exercise instructor, lost 110 pounds in 36 months.
All four fitness professionals agree...success began when they committed to adopting and implementing a LIFESTYLE CHANGE rather than a specific diet or sports endeavor.
Shannon says "it's not so much that my students relate to me, I relate to them."
Sean says "been there, done that....helping members lose their desired weight requires a deep understanding of real life."
Stephanie says "sometimes when things seemed out of control, monitoring what I put in my mouth was the only thing I could control."
Weight Loss IS a process....SUPPORT is critical to success....we're on YOUR TEAM!
BLOGGING IS FUN! Please read my personal story and I look forward to hearing from YOU. Please share your softball experiences or life's successes....how has softball impacted YOUR LIFE?
Personal Story – Terri Gilreath (VP, East Side & West Side Athletic Clubs):
As the child of a Navy officer our family was relocated to a new City or a new State every two years.As a result of moving so frequently, very few things seemed stable or predictable.Being the new kid on the block, every 20-24 months, proved challenging and insecurities seemed insurmountable.Fast forward to happier times…I began playing SOFTBALL!Things changed for me.Moving to a new State simply created the opportuntity to move up in the line-up; new fields meant new teammates and new softball friends were the best kind of friends.Bobby Sox slid into High School ball; High School softball led to AllStar teams, AllStar adventures led to ASA experiences.ASA softball provided exposure;exposure, ie: college scouting, resulted in a full-ride softball scholarship to California Polytechnic University.Cal Poly led to a Bachelor’s Degree and initiation into the Master’s program.The pursuit of a post-graduate degree led to a career in professional racquetball; becoming #1 in the World in Doubles provided financial stability.Finally, racquetball led to club management and eventually to athletic club business ownership.Playing SOFTBALL changed my LIFE!
It’s NOT “just a game!”The great game of softball boasts hundreds of lessons on life.Young girls / women have choices to make everyday.Being part of a team means YOU BELONG. Softball is the ideal ‘growing’ field.Softball teaches us to shake hands even when the scoreboard shows a loss.Softball encourages us to see every pitch as a new opportunity to succeed, a fresh start.Softball promotes synergy and compassion.Softball supports fairness; softball teaches leadership.
This weekend, YOU are on the ‘playing field’; keep your eye on the ball!Play well!Grow strong!Thank others! Respect yourself! Love softball … it WILL love you back!
