What is your strategy to stay focused and motivated with your fitness plan?
Here are 4 points in the acronym V.I.B.E. that my paying clients use to raised their fitness levels out of the basement.
Exercise V.I.B.E.
Variety – To avoid boredom and unwanted plateaus it’s best to keep muscles confused with different and challenging exercises. A walk every day or only doing the same three strength training exercises is recipe for a plateau in weight loss and lean muscle gain.
How do you spice up a workout? Or, what do you do each week to keep variety in your overall plan? Try a new group exercise class every 4 weeks. In addition, get a new strength training plan every 4-6 weeks. Hire a trainer to give you a plan and run with it!
Intensity– The greater the intensity the greater the fat loss. Simply speaking, it is a fact that metabolic rate is increased as the intensity is increased (Tremblay). I like to tell my clients that the engine is burning a lot longer (up to 36hrs) and consuming calories after a high intensity exercise workout versus a long slow aerobic workout.
I’m a runner and I like to run long distance for the challenge, or for a goal race. However, the cornerstone of my fitness involves interval training to burn the unwanted stuff and build power. I use a similar strategy for my strength training.
What specific ways do you create intensity in your strength or cardio programs?
Brief– If your workouts integrate the element of intensity then you will only be able to sustain brief bouts before dialing it back to recover (let your heart rate lower) and then you can ramp it up again. A workout like this is taxing and requires less time in your schedule than a long aerobic bike ride, for example. On average, I spend 45 minutes doing a workout, including the warmup and cool down.
Entertaining– I make my workout session just that! I like to have fun music and a pre-determined plan of cardio intervals or strength training exercises in a circuit format. My mind is active and focused because I’m anticipating the switch from one drill to the next in intervals ranging anywhere from 30 seconds to 5 minutes.
Another way to keep it fun is engage in group exercise. The community feel is electric and often your best efforts summoned when in a group or team setting.
What do you do to make your workouts entertaining? And, if you listen to music what is your favorite artist or song that gets you through your workout?