Tips for Diet and Exercise

A collection of my Tips for diet and exercise

I got up late today and decided to just throw a collection of tips that I have posted

 

Tip of the day:

   Comfort zones are just that a place where we feel comfortable. Well your muscles know that and they need to be pulled out of that zone to grow, just like you.  Several of you came here having never worked out with weights before. You left your comfort zone and tried something different. Do that to your muscles to. Try heavier weights one day an maybe do a couple less reps. Then go lighter and do more reps. Don’t be afraid to leave that comfort zone. You have done it once already you can do it again. 

We all have things that come up in life that will keep us from getting to the gym. Sometimes we are doing great and then the gym get closed for a week, or kids need to be taken to college, or even a business trip that is just not conducive to getting your workout in.  There is nothing wrong with taking a week off from your workouts. I do it the week before meet. What you need to do though is make sure you schedule the drop-dead date you will start back in. Stick to this like glue. It is too easy to let ourselves be lazy and procrastinate and just not get back to our healthy fit lifestyle. So Schedule it and stick to it. 

Resting the muscle is important for it to heal and get stronger. If you have any Delayed onset muscle soreness do not work that muscle that day. You need to let it heal completely. I try to make sure is do this every week and on most weeks I am successful in this quest. When I feel like hitting the weights beyond what my schedule is I will do the body part that is not sore. However we all including me must listen to our bodies.

Yes JIM THIS MEANS YOU TO!

Age is just a number; the whole thing is mind over matter. If you don’t mind your age doesn’t matter. I am 48 years old and will be 49 in August. That means I will have to compete in the 50-year old masters division. This was kind of a wake up call to me. I was like am I really going to turn 50 next year. The answer is YOU BET YOUR ASS and the fact there is even division out there that is for that age group tells me I am not alone. It does not matter how old you are, you can get fit and healthy and you can have a fun active live as an AARP member. LOL

Assistance, we all need help at some point in our workouts. Whether it is a spotter while workout to muscle failure to needing pointers on our form. One area many people need assistance on is the Pull Up. This is a great upper body workout but can be a bit discouraging when you cannot do them. Don’t worry there are many people who cannot do them. I have put a video of an assisted pull up you can do with bands. It recorded sideways but I think you will get the point. Take a look and give it a try if you need to bands or three, go for it.

Strength training doesn’t have to be with weights, it can be with resistance bands or just your own body weight.You can get a good chest burn with push-ups, which will hit your core as well. Just because I like to hit the weights hard doesn’t mean you have to, to get fit. Crunches, push-up, and squats without weights are great for the body. Add in some cardio at 30 minutes like burpees, jumping jacks, biking or a run and you have a great day to start getting the body fit. HMMMM I think I will set up a routine for you with out weights that you can start next week.

If you find it hard to stick to a routine, try parking in the furthest space and walk into work or the mall. You can also take the stairs instead of the elevators. Remember that as long as you are getting some type of exercise, you can improve your heart’s condition. Although scheduling it is better after all you schedule everything else in your life.

Once you have your body fat to the percent that you are comfortable with and you are strength training intensely enough you can cut back on the amount of cardio you do. 2 to 3 days a week at that point will be just right for you. However, everyone’s body is different and some people may need to maintain that level of cardio. Experiment with your metabolism once you hit your goal. Also you notice I mention body fat and not weight or BMI. This is because with strength training the scale can lie to you. You might not lose much weight but you are losing fat. As far as BMI I find it is not accurate for people whom strength train. It still says I am overweight!!!!