Variety is the Spice of Life

With NuBody Fitness you receive cutting-edge exercise routines with variety, and as they say, variety is the spice of life. Adding variety to your cardio routine not only helps you achieve a fuller workout but helps keep the routine from becoming boring. While some of us thrive on having consistency in our fitness programs, many of us are in danger of quitting because doing the same exercises over and over again quickly loses interest. In this article, we’ll take a look at why variety in your cardio routine can help you reach your goals, some easy ideas for incorporating variety in your fitness program, and how NuBody Fitness can help you to find the variety you need.

Why we need variety

There are several reasons why variety is important in our fitness routines. It’s important to remember that there are over 600 muscles in the body, so it’s highly unlikely that you’ll be using every one of them in one single cardio exercise. With NuBody Fitness the main purpose of cardio training is to raise the heart rate and improve energy and stamina, but cardio can also work on different muscles groups at the same time.

Another reason variety is so important is that it can help you push through the inevitable fitness plateau that you’ll run into from time to time on the way to reaching your goal. The body reaches a plateau when it is working at its optimal capacity at any given exercise. This happens most often when the same exercises are repeated over and over again. Changing up the routine with NuBody Fitness can help push through a plateau and even avoid reaching one altogether.

Daily, weekly, monthly

If you like rapid change and need variety to keep you motivated, you can vary your cardio exercises in the same thirty minute session by changing the exercise every ten minutes. Others prefer to concentrate on one exercise per session, but may do a different exercise every day. There are also those that like the consistency of following the same routine but realize that changing the exercises is beneficial in the long run, so will change every four to six weeks.

Change as you feel comfortable, but remember that part of working towards your fitness goal is pushing your body out of its comfort zone, so it’s not a bad idea to at least try an exercise you previously would have avoided it. You may find that you need assistance, and that’s where NuBody Fitness can help!

Getting help

If you feel like you’ve done every kind of exercise you can think of and are at a loss for what to do next or just need some advice on the best ways to vary your cardio routine, you may find that a personal trainer is the best way to go. A personal trainer can design a routine that helps you reach your goals as well as keeps you interested with cutting edge exercises. After all, NuBody Fitness is the best way to spice up your fitness routine is to make sure it has plenty of variety.

Encouragement

Many of you may know me as the Office Manager of NuBody Fitness, some of you may call me your friend, some may even think of me like a daughter, and some remember me when I was obese and taking medication to control my blood pressure at the age of 30. I have battled with my weight all my life, going up 10 pounds and then down 5. If you are struggling to lose 20, 30, or more weight, I understand how frustrating it is. While you may see me on our flyers having lost 30 lbs, I am still overweight and still need to lose about 10 more lbs. I struggle just as you do with balancing a busy life and trying to find time to eat a healthy meal. I know how much cheaper and faster it is to fix hamburger helper than a meal that includes lean meat and vegetables. I had to get to the place where I didn’t give myself an option. I created my meal plans a week ahead of time and I refused to deviate from what was planned. If you have trouble creating your own meal plans then come to the nutrition seminar on Thursday. James will be introducing 4 new nutritional programs where he will design your meal plans for you.

Here are some encouraging tips…

1. It will get easier! I have watched several of you do things in bootcamp that you struggled doing the first class. Keep moving – every day will be a little better! Be encouraged!

2. The visible signs of progress in a weight loss program are often very slow to come. Healthy weight loss takes time, and I know that can be very discouraging. Be encouraged to know that for each day that you exercise and eat healthy foods in moderate quantities, you have made progress. It might not be measurable that day, but you have made progress and it will be measurable over a period of weeks and months. You didn’t put the weight on overnight and you won’t lose it overnight. Be encouraged!

3. The whole idea behind physical training is that you push your body to do a little more than it’s comfortable with and it responds by making physical and physiological changes. These changes make you capable of doing a little more with less discomfort. Be encouraged!

4. Exercise will change your life! You are healthier,You feel better and have more energy, You are less likely to develop cancer, heart disease, stroke, etc., You sleep better, You have a better outlook on life, Your relationships with people are enhanced, Your skin looks healthier, You are sick less often, Your immune system is stronger, You lose fat, You gain toned, lean muscle, and You look healthier.

Don’t give up on yourself! This is a life committment!

Each of you is the best support system you have. Comment here to give each other some encouraging words…

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Being Overweight Shortens Your Life

Being Overweight Shortens Life Span

As BMI Rises, So Does Risk of Death From Heart Disease, Stroke, Diabetes, and Many Other Conditions

By Caroline Wilbert
WebMD Health News

Reviewed by Louise Chang, MD

March 19, 2009 — If you are having trouble sticking to your diet, here’s more motivation: Being overweight may take years off your life.

A new study shows that weighing a third more than your ideal weight could reduce your life by three years on average.

”Excess weight shortens human life span,” study researcher Gary Whitlock of the Clinical Trial Service Unit at the University of Oxford says in a written statement. “In countries like Britain and America, weighing a third more than the optimum shortens life span by about three years. For most people, a third more than the optimum means carrying 20 to 30 kilograms (or 50 to 60 pounds) of excess weight. If you are becoming overweight or obese, avoiding further weight gain could well add years to your life.”

Researchers looked at data from 57 existing studies, examining in total the mortality rates for nearly 900,000 adults. They looked at mortality rates for people five or more years after they began participating in a study. The lowest mortality rate was for people with a body mass index (BMI) of 22.5-25.

BMI is a measure of weight in relation to height. A BMI of 18.5-24.9 is considered normal weight. A BMI of 25-29.9 is considered overweight. Obesity is considered a BMI of 30 or more.

Researchers found that each additional increase of 5 in the BMI translated into a 30% increase in any cause of death. It also translated into a 40% increase in death from heart disease, stroke, and other vascular diseases; a 60% to 120% increase in death from diabetes, kidney disease, and liver disease; a 10% death from cancer; and a 20% increase in death from lung disease. Findings took into account age, sex, and smoking history.

Severe obesity has a similar effect to smoking on mortality rates, according to researchers. However, researcher Richard Peto, also of Clinical Trial Service Unit at the University of Oxford, cautioned that smoking to stay thin is not the answer.

“This study has shown that continuing to smoke is as dangerous as doubling your body weight, and three times as dangerous as moderate obesity,” Peto says in a written statement. “Changing your diet but keeping on smoking is not the way to increase life span. For smokers, the key thing is that stopping smoking works.”

Commitment

Commitment. In today’s society you may hear people say they are committed to a cause, to a relationship, or to a healthier lifestyle.  You may start out with a bang but that motivation quickly fizzles out and the word commitment falls by the wayside.  Here are some reasons why people find it hard to see something through to completion, why it is important to stay committed, and tips to help you stay committed until you have reached your goal.

At NuBody Fitness I have the pleasure of meeting with people for the first time, that are 100% committed to reaching their goal, whether it is weight loss, to gain strength, or to simply get in better shape. Only about 10% of those people stay committed until their goals are reached.  People tell me that they need a break, a little time off, they are sick, and the list could go on and on, but really it comes down to a lack of motivation to push through those times when the voice in your head is telling you, “it won’t hurt anything to miss a week”.

It is important to stay committed because your commitment and discipline will reward itself.  The more you stay committed, attending every bootcamp, the faster you will see results.  If you have ever missed a week of bootcamp you know how hard of a struggle it is to force yourself to come back and then how hard that first workout can be.  You are your own worst enemy.  Don’t give yourself an opportunity to stop your motivation and commitment to your goals.

Mark H. Anshel, and MTSU Professor put it this way, “No one can ‘force’ commitment on you.  No one can dictate what you consider important-improved fitness, proper nutrition, controlling your weight, having the energy to enjoy your life and family.  Perform optimally, what ever you do, both at work and play.  That is your responsibility.  Commitment is about taking responsibility for the quality of life you want to live; to be emotionally connected to what really matters; to be energized, not victimized, by life’s challenges; to be optimistic about taking risks; and to be spiritually aligned with your values.  Life is a journey.  Enjoy the ride!”

Some tips to staying committed to exercise

1. Not give yourself a choice. Showing up to bootcamp is non-optional.  Even if you don’t feel like it, make the effort to show up, and if you are only able to give your workout 25% that day, that’s okay.
2. Keep track of your workouts, what you did during bootcamp, how you felt, what was the easiest and hardest exercises.  As you continue to stick with bootcamp you will see that some exercises you struggled with at the beginning are suddenly not so hard.  This will give you encouragement and motivation to continue.
3. Make exercise a priority in your life. Rearrange your schedule so that you will always have time to exercise.  If you are not normally a morning person, but this is the only time you can workout, then make a commitment to go to bed early so that you can attend one of our earlier morning bootcamps.
4. Stay Hydrated. If you aren’t drinking around six to eight glasses of water a day, you’re probably not drinking enough. Even slight dehydration can make you feel less physically motivated.
5. Change your attitude. Bootcamp is filled with people saying “I can’t”.  All I ask is that you do the best you can.  A negative attitude is the reason most people give up before they even begin.  Your attitude will likely decide your success at staying committed.
6. Don’t Overdo It. You are the only one who knows your body.  Don’t try and do as many reps as the person beside you, go at your own pace.  An injury can undo months of hard work.  If you have had an injury in the past, ask me to show you some modified exercises.  It is very important to take care of yourself so that you can see your commitment through to the end.

Tell me what you think.  Do you agree or disagree?  In your experience where do you find it hard to stay committed to exercising and do you have any suggestions to others who may be struggling with staying committed?

Fit Tip #2 (post-workout nutrition)

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