Want to Stick to Your Exercise Plan? Don't Think about It.

If you have trouble staying motivated to exercise, you might achieve greater success if you make exercise part of your routine; something as ingrained as brushing your teeth, getting showered, or driving to work. The more "automatic" exercise becomes, the less you will have to grapple with how to fit it into your busy schedule.

Here are some suggestions:

• Get It Over With: Exercise in the morning, before your day starts.
• Exercise to Commute: Run,walk, bike or skate to work. No shower or gym facilities at the office? Then keep workout clothes and gear in your office, and exercise for your commute home at the end of the day.
• Have"Power Lunches":Use two or three lunch hours a week to strength-train at a nearby gym. Working with weights, you don't have to worry about the "seat factor," as you do with cardio workouts. You can strength train in less than 30 minutes.
• Don't Go Home First!: If you choose to exercise in the evening after work, go directly to your workout destination. Stopping at home first can present distractions that could interfere with your exercise plans.

As always, feel free to contact me with any questins or comments at nivram1ohio@aol.com

How Hard Should Your Workouts Be?

When doing your cardiovascular workouts, do you "give it your all?" If so, make a point to end your workouts before you hit the exhaustion point.

Even on those days when you push for an extra-challenging workout, you should feel invigorated and strong when you finish. You should NOT feel as though you've depleted all of your energy reserves. If you feel that you've got no "fuel" left, you could be using too much of your body's stored energy - and making it more difficult for your body to recover enough by your next workout.

If you need a personalized workout plan, exercise tips, diet tips, email me at nivram1ohio@aol.com

When Injury Slows You Down, Should You Eat Less?

Injury can lead to a period of inactivity or reduced activity. A broken leg, for example, can put a crimp in your workout routine. And if surgery is needed, you can be out of commission for weeks.
If injury has rendered you more sedentary than usual, it stands to reason that you should eat less...and perhaps even try to lose weight at this time. Right? WRONG.

When you are injured, your body needs a good deal of energy - that is, it needs CALORIES - in order to heal itself. This is not the time to be cutting calories in an effort to lose weight. Without enough calories and the right nutrients (particularly protein), your body's tissues can actually break down at a time when they need to be rebuilding. As a result, your recovery could be much longer than is necessary. If you want to prevent weight gain during your recovery, cut out the junk food and the sweets. Those empty calories you can certainly do without.

As always, for free diet tips, exercise tips, or fitness questions, email me atnivram1ohio@aol.com

A Safer Way To Do Lat Pull-Downs

Do you use the lat pull-down machine in your weight-training workouts? If so, you may want to check (and maybe update) your technique.

"Lat" refers to the latissimus dorsi, the large muscles in the middle of your back. In lat pull-downs, you are sitting down and pulling a horizontal bar from above your head down toward your body.

Traditionally, lat pull-downs entailed bringing the bar down behind your head, to the base of your neck. However, we now know that this movement can put excessive strain on the neck, especially when a lot of weight is used.

The safer alternative: Bring the bar down in front of your face and down to your chest. You'll work the same muscles without the neck strain.

As always, for free diet tips, exercise tips, or fitness questions, email me at nivram1ohio@aol.com

Myht Buster!

There is belief by some that you have to spend hours in the gym in order to achieve maximum results. But research has shown that it is possible to achieve better results from your workout by shortening the amount of time that you spend in the gym. By doing a 15 minute workout, you will be more motivated to keep up with your workout schedule, because you can get in, and get out of the gym.

Keep in mind that you still have to have intensity, but any workout is better than none.

Upper Body Days and Lower Body Days!

Finding time to fit your workout into your busy schedule is a problem that many of us face. I have a time saving tip that may not be suitable for everyone, but if you are having trouble getting motivated to weight-training, this strategy might work.

Instead of doing total body workout that exercises all the body's major muscles groups, alternate your routine so that on one day you train only the upper-body muscle groups(arms,shoulders,chest,back) and on the next day you train the lower-body muscle groups(abs,butt,legs).

With this schedule, all the muscles have a day to recover, which is very important.

With each session, you could be finished within 30 minutes or less.

Keep in mind that although you will have shorter training sessions, you will need more of them. That means you have to have at lest four days out of the week where you are going to the gym. But if getting in and out of the gym is very important to you, this schedule could be just right for you.

As always: for free tips, workout plans, diet tips, personal training, and whatever query you may have regarding your workout, feel free to contact me at nivram1ohio@aol.com .

Don't eat garbage!

Before you go to McBurger World for lunch remember this-"Stay away from the fast food restaurants!" I repeat, "stay away from fast food."

As you begin to get in better shape, and improve your life, you MUST change your diet and eating habits. If you are like so many people that eat fast food five days a week during your lunch break, "Stop!" Fast food contains preservatives and fat that is counterproductive to your goals of losing weight.

Instead of buying fast food, use that money to purchase groceries and prepare your lunch at home. In other words: Brown Bag It! After just a few weeks of taking your lunch to work, you will begin to feel more energized and not to mention you'll save a few bucks!

Also, stay away from fast food all together, whether for lunch or dinner. Like I said before, in order to achieve a great body, and stay in the best shape of your life, lose weight, and become more healthy, you have to change your mind, change your diet, and get active.

21 Day White Out!

Research shows that Carbs are the enemy! You can get more out of your workout, and in less time by decreasing the amount of carbs you are consuming. Bread, potatoes, rice, and pasta are all Whites that should be avoided at all cost.

You can still get the necessary sugars that your body needs by consuming veggies, fruit, and meat.

Try this: For 21 days, try to eliminate all carbs from your diet, while increasing your workout intensity. It is very hard to avoid eating carbs. That's why this plan is only for 21 days. It will take discipline and motivation to keep you focused, but it can be done. You will see quick results.

Try it!

For any questions, comments or just to have your success story posted here; email me at nivram1ohio@aol.com.