Strickland Fitness

I decided to make a list of the top 10 excuses people use to stray away from their health and fitness goals. But I’m not going to stop there. Each is followed by an answer to that excuse.

1. “I don’t have the time.”

Make the time! If anything in life is important enough, time can be made. It’s all a matter of priorities.

2. “I can’t afford a gym membership.”

Not all gyms are expensive. There are some out there that cheaper than you think. You can also do exercises at home with little to no weights needed. Check out http://stricklandfitness.com/2008/11/20/2-full-body-exercises/

3. “I just don’t know what to do.”

It can be scary starting to work out and not know what to do. However, there are plenty of good websites out there (like this one  ) with free content to get you started.

4. “I need to lose a lot of weight and it seems like it will take forever.”

Shorten your goals to a month. If your goal is to lose 25 pounds, start by trying to lose 5. Once you reach that goal, try for another 5. Before you know it, you will have lost all 25. Read http://stricklandfitness.com/2008/11/17/short-term-goals-long-term-success/

5. “I know myself, and I can never commit to anything.”

Begin a program with a friend. Accountability is key.

6. “I’ll start soon.”

Start now! If you do, 6 months from now, you’ll be glad you did. Trust me!!!

7. “I’m not in good shape and everyone at the gym seems to be. “

Everyone at the gym is working towards their goal. That is what they are focusing on. Put your focus on your goals and not on other’s perception of them.

8. “I’m afraid people at the gym will laugh or stare at me while I’m exercising.”

To tell you the truth, I only laugh and stare at the people who walk around the gym doing nothing. To me, that’s funny. If you are worried about your form, work out with a friend or in front of a mirror to make sure you have correct form.

9. “I’m already in pretty good shape, and I don’t do anything.”

The outside doesn’t always match the inside. Working out and doing cardio is great for stress relief, prevention of heart disease, controlled cholesterol and blood pressure, and overall well-being.

10. “I have been working out but I haven’t seen any results.”

You have to mix it up or you might be overtraining. If you don’t change your routine, your body goes into autopilot and plateaus. You have to keep it guessing. Overtraining can also slow down results. Be sure to get plenty of rest between workouts and eat a healthy diet.

Some Important Tips

Tips, statistics, dos and don’ts on nutrition and fitness People who keep a food journal tend to lose weight – Why? Because you become aware of what you are putting into your body. When asked how many calories a day do you consume? The answer is usually 500-800 less than the actual amount. I have many clients who lose their first couple of pounds just by starting a food journal. This doesn’t mean you have to do it forever. Once you become aware of your tendencies and make the appropriate changes, the journal has done the trick. Preparation is the key – In this fast paced world, the time to sit down and eat a healthy meal seems non-existent. We are always after the quick fix because it’s quick. Well we all know that a quick meal is usually not a healthy one. Our blood sugar is low because we haven’t eaten in awhile and we need that energy boost. That energy boost generally comes in the form of sugar and fat. It tastes good and it’s accessible. However, the results are not as desired! Why do we treat our nutrition this way but not our jobs or hobbies. If you are to lead an upcoming meeting at work, how do you go into it? Most people will do some research on the topic, prepare some handouts, or write down some issues to be covered. That is preparing for something important. Well what if you looked at your nutrition that way. If you felt each meal was important, you might prepare for it a little better. If you have a busy Monday, be ready for it. Don’t go to work empty handed telling yourself you will grab something for lunch….it probably will not be very healthy. Bring your healthy lunch to work with you that you have already prepared Sunday night. Breakfast is the most important meal of the day – If you eat dinner at 7 o’clock, wake at 6, and then not eat until lunch time (believe me, a lot of people do that), that is 17 hours that your body has gone without an energy source. What are you teaching your body? I’ll tell you…hang on to all my fat (stored energy) because I am going to need it. If you don’t feed your body, your body will store everything you give it for later use. Breakfast will kick start your metabolism (along with cardio and exercise of course) and start your day off with an energy boost and not energy deprivation. If you say, “but I’m not hungry in the morning,” start with something small and easily digestible. Work your way up to a good nutritious meal. Not a lot of time in the morning you’re thinking. A good breakfast can be ready in 5 minutes. How important is it to you? Eat about 5 small meals throughout the day – Eating small amounts throughout the day will help regulate your metabolism and give your body a constant dose of energy, vitamins and minerals. You will never feel that quick fix urge or blood sugar drop (crash). Remember, a crash in blood sugar (energy) most always results in an unhealthy choice. Not enough time for an actual meal? Have some unsalted almonds handy. A handful will give you the energy needed to make to the next meal and it is a good source of healthy fat. Yes, you do need a bit of good fat in your food. Fat helps your body absorb all the vitamins and minerals the rest of your food is providing. Other examples of good fat are flaxseed and olive oil, nuts, and avocado.  

The importance of warming up is undeniable. It’s a wonder why so few of us actually warm up before any type of exercise; Maybe it’s not knowing what to do or what to do it for. I will answer both of these maybes.

You should warm up before any exercise session. It does not matter if it is cardio or resistance training.  The two basic parts of a warm up are low intensity movement and active stretching.

Why warm up: To ready the body for maximum performance and prevent injury during and after exercise. The difference between working out cold and working out with a warm body is substantial. Muscles perform better when they are rich with oxygen. This oxygen gets to your muscles via blood. Warming up moves blood throughout your body saturating your muscles with oxygenated blood. Your muscles and body will then be ready for intense activity. Some examples of the first part of your warm up (low intensity movement) are: Biking, jogging, rowing, walking, and stepping. 5-10 minutes of any of these examples is plenty to get the blood flowing to your muscles. This should not be intense as to not tire yourself before your actual workout.

The second part of your warm up should be active stretching. Have you ever seen track athletes hopping down the track raising their knees up and down to and from their chest before a race? This is an example of active stretching. You are putting your body through the motions of the actual exercise you plan to do. This prepares the ligaments and muscles for the force that will be placed on them. Going through full range of motion before resisting the motion (with speed, weight, or force) is crucial in injury prevention. Some examples of active stretching are: walking lunges, side-to-side lunges, arms swings, and trunk rotations.

Your muscles and ligaments are like a rubber band. When warm, they are elastic and flexible. Put the rubber band in the freezer and then try to pull it apart…it snaps. That is what can happen when you exercise without warming up.

Before any workout, do 5-10 minutes of low intensity movement followed by 10 minutes of active stretching. Your workout will be that much better and your chance of injury goes down greatly. You also burn a few extra calories doing it!!

It’s amazing how many people I see at the gym reading the paper, watching TV, or talking to others while working out and doing cardio. I ask myself what are their goals? What are they looking to accomplish during their time at the gym? The concept of “doing something is better than doing nothing” will not get you to where you want to be. What will? Intensity!

The concept of “you get out what you put in” does apply. If you are looking to lose weight, get fit, or be healthier, go to the gym and go for it. If you only have an hour a day to dedicate to cardio or resistance training, suck every minute from it. Start intensifying your workouts. If you are new to fitness, you should start slow and progress to higher intensity workouts. Once your body has adjusted to the demands you are placing on it, step it up.

When I work with a client, I make sure they get everything possible out of the time I spend with them. Ask yourself, do you give everything you got when you work out? At work, you work hard to move up the ranks and be successful. Do the same for your body. The next time you workout, keep your goals in mind and put the effort in that equals how bad you want to meet your goals!