If your goals are to lose weight, or to increase your endurance, stamina, strength, or cardiovascular fitness I highly recommend you hit the trail. Cardiovascular exercise has many benefits in addition to fat burning, you’ll have an increased metabolism, lowered blood pressure, heart rate, and cholesterol levels. A 190 lb person can burn off 228 calories with just a leisurely bike ride.

When most people think of cardio exercise the most common images are of sweating to an aerobics video, walking/running on a treadmill, a stair stepper, an elliptical machine or riding a stationary bike. All of these are excellent cardiovascular activities but now that the weather is nice I say dust off that bicycle and hit the beautiful trail systems our city has to offer. Omaha has over 80 miles of paved as well as unpaved trails and paths throughout the city and surrounding areas. These trails are very popular and are used by runners, hikers, bicyclists and recreational walkers of all ages. This is the time of year to make your cardiovascular activities fun and enjoyable. And what better way to get in some exercise than adding a social aspect by including your friends, children, and parents.

So get thee to the garage, basement, thrift store, garage sale, bike shop or wherever your bike may be, grab a helmet and hit the trails for fitness fun!

Tracy L. Speights

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Hop on a treadmill holding a three to five pound dumbbell in each hand, set the speed to a brisk walk and increase the incline setting. It’s a great upper body workout and gets your rear going. Do this two or three times a week.

2. Power up Your Runs

Add wall squats to the end of every run that will build up and strengthen your quads, hams and glutes. It will also improve your speed and endurance. Place your back against a wall until your knees are bent at 90 degrees. Hold for 30 to 60 seconds: Work up to doing 10 reps.

3. Chart Your Progress

Continue to motivate yourself by using aids to measure your progress. Write it down! Set your goals and keep track of your activities. If you have access to an online program that lets you chart your workouts it makes it that much easier. Seeing your progression in writing keeps you accountable and motivates you to continue on. You will see improvement!

4. All-in-One Toner

Try a Side-Step Squat with a resistance band that works your arms, abs, torso, legs, inner thighs and butt. Start by placing the band between your feet while taking the bands control in your hand. Take a broad step to the right; bend your knees at a 90 degree angle. Slowly return to the starting position while maintaining balance and bringing both feet together. Do for 10 reps then do the same for the left side.

5. Workout While Working

I am sure you have heard of this one; Sit on a stability ball while working at your desk. This will strengthen your core. Try and squeeze in shoulder presses and abdominal crunches.

6. Get Some Sleep

You actually burn more calories sleeping than you do walking 4 miles per hour (which is a very brisk pace) on a level firm surface. Now listen very clearly; I am not saying that you shouldn’t walk for exercise but in combination with a good nights sleep you’re really burning the calories.  Ha, can you imagine the calories you’d burn sleepwalking?  Sleep also helps your body recover from a workout.  Aim for 7-8 hours per night.

7. Jump Rope

One of the best cardio workouts is jump-rope. Jumping rope will seriously work every muscle in the body. Jump rope is great when done as High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT).  HIIT is cardio performed at such an intense level (fast for a brief period, slow/resting for a brief period) that your body will spend the rest of the day expending energy to recover from the ass-kicking you gave it.

8. You Are Not Perfect

You don’t have to be perfect to get results. Follow the 80/20 plan. 80 percent of the time eat well and exercise regularly. For the remaining 20, let yourself eat at holidays or allow yourself an occasional “cheat meal”  at lunch with friends. If you think it is all or nothing you are less likely to stick with it.

9. Make Over Your Running Routine

Sprinting burns more calories. Try to integrate High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) into your running routine. For beginners start with sprinting for 30 seconds, rest (or take it down to a slow walk, just long enough to catch your breath) for 90 seconds. Do 4-6 sets of 30 second sprints, 90 seconds of rest. Eventually you will progress to longer sprints, shorter rest periods. Remember to properly warm up and cool down.

10. Don’t Eliminate Carbohydrates

Your body needs carbs for energy. If you need added energy for a workout, eat complex carbs about an hour before. Your best bets are low fat cheese with crackers, trail mix, raisins or a half a PB&J sandwich, on whole grain bread of course.

Tracy L. Speights

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Maybe even you should consider canceling that gym membership since it’s not required for you to live a healthy lifestyle. Some of us have fitness centers at work, most condo and apartment complexes also have gyms, all the equipment we really need for exercising are relatively inexpensive. I’m talking about resistance bands, an exercise mat, an exercise ball, a set of dumbbells, oh and our own body weight (pushups, crunches, dips).  However, for some of us, a gym membership does have it’s advantages.  One main advantage of  joining a gym is safety, because you will (hopefully) have access to experienced fitness professionals who can help you perform exercises correctly.  Performing weight training incorrectly can be damaging and can sometimes result in serious injury. There is also a social element to working out at a gym.

You can even check your local library for fitness DVDs you can check out for free. Go ahead and calculate the gas and time you’ll save without the drive to and from the gym, then calculate the money saved without having to pay the monthly membership fees. Most people believe that to get fit you need to workout in a gym, NOT TRUE.

You should get out of the box and start thinking creatively, there are dozens of fun activities you can do while at the same time getting a great quality workout. Activities such as swimming, golfing (no cart), playing tennis, bike riding, walking, and hiking are some fun activities that can give you a great workout. As an added benefit you can include your family and you can all have fun while at the same time promote fitness.

If you are not sports minded or you can’t think of any sport that can be fun for you, you should also consider dancing as a great workout experience. Dancing is definitely a fun fitness workout alternative if you find regular gym workouts boring. For some of my clients we have incorporated dancing as part of their cardio routine.

These are just some of the examples that can make fitness fun and more enjoyable. There are still quite a lot of activities out there that you can do for fun and at the same time, give you a great quality workout. All you need to do is find one that interests you and be creative.

Tracy L. Speights

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Starting out on any project is hard, have you ever wondered why?

For some of us it’s really easy to START something new, but the problem is sometimes we don’t FINISH it. It is a well-known fact that many of us are able to start an activity but as we move along with it, we often find ourselves taking a different course. Some say it is basic human nature that we often put off today what we can do tomorrow. The fact is this; we should not procrastinate when it comes to our health, fitness, and nutrition.

The best way to keep yourself on track is to be certain that your goals are realizable, attainable and realistic. Don’t set yourself up for failure before you even begin by setting unrealistic goals. I beg you not to do that to yourself. First identify your health, fitness, and nutritional needs, and after doing so, set your goals right away. If you are contemplating starting a fitness program, I commend you. If you are currently exercising or have had difficulty in the past reaching your fitness goals you would greatly increase your chances of success by consulting with a fitness professional.

In order to succeed you must have the right drive. Get the motivation you need; tell your family, tell your friends that you’ve decided to live a healthy lifestyle and they will make it a point to encourage you toward your goal. Who knows, chances are you may find an exercise partner out of the deal.

I have not used the word diet yet and it’s not a four-letter word meaning you have to skip meals or eat tasteless foods. When grocery shopping put healthy food items like fruits, vegetables and lean meats in your cart. Keep away from foods that are processed, bleached or have coloring added (i.e. Red #4, Yellow #5, etc). By choosing healthy food items and eating them in portion controlled amounts spread out over 4-6 times a day you are on track to reaching your goal. 

If you need guidance on setting your goals for a healthy lifestyle please contact me or post your inquiry here on my blog. As always I recommend that you first consult with your doctor before starting any exercise program.

Tracy L. Speights

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Fitness

Although fitness and health have similar properties, they are, in reality, two very different concepts. While health refers to the absence of diseases, fitness refers to the degree of body functioning and the ability of the body to handle physical demands.

The more efficient the body functions, the higher the level of fitness. The higher the level of fitness, the greater is the chance of the body being free of diseases and maintaining a healthy state. Fitness is a major part of a preventative medicine approach to health. Before starting any fitness program I highly recommend you first consult with your doctor.

Benefits of a Fitness Program

Whether you want to lose weight or not, fitness is important for everyone, correct and regular exercise results in a large number of benefits, not only to the body but also to the mind. Now we don’t have to be world-class athletes, but we should all have an exercise program with fitness goals to boost our overall general health. The key benefits that you will derive are:

• It helps maintain a healthy heart and circulatory system
• It keeps your metabolism active and not sluggish - exercise actually gives you energy!
• As well as giving you energy during the day, it helps you sleep better at night
• It tones your muscles, giving you a more healthy appearance
• Toned muscles help our balance which inevitably deteriorates as we get older
• It helps maintain bone strength, which is particularly important for women
• It releases endorphins, which make us feel good
• It enhances our self-confidence

Tracy L. Speights

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