Solutions

We all have busy lives. Sometimes it's hard to get to the gym. And when you do make it, it seems like the whole town showed up and you can't get on a piece of equipment. That's the type of frustration that can turn into an excuse. Solution? Here's an idea... If you are only able to get to the gym during the busiest times and feel frustrated by the lack of available equipment, create your own "at home workout". Get creative. You don't need weights or bands or benches or treadmills to do this. All you need is a small amount of space and your body weight.


Example: jog in place. Do some jumping jacks. Butt kicks. High knees. Whatever you can do to warm up in a small space. Then create a circuit that takes 2-3 minutes and repeat it 3-5 times.

A circuit would look something like this: 10 push ups 10 air squats 10 crunches 10 tri dips 10 burpees 10 side lunges


We have just worked every muscle from head to toe, engaging the core the entire time. This is only an example. You need to be creative. Maybe you want to focus on your shoulders so you do some shoulder dips. Or maybe you hate crunches and prefer Russian twists. The beauty of it is that you're the boss. And the key to it is to keep moving with 30-60 second rests between each circuit. The harder you work, the more fat and calories you will burn. Always be sure to cool down with some marching in place or whatever movement you prefer. And always, ALWAYS stretch!

Here's another pointer..... It's always better to get your heart rate up during a workout, but with circuits, you're bringing your heart rate up then back down and repeating that cycle for the duration of the workout. This has been proven to keep your heart rate up for up to 48 hours following a workout. But maybe you got home late and just don't feel like doing an organized workout. Maybe you feel like watching your favorite recorded TV show but guilt is setting in and you're beating yourself up over skipping a workout. Solution? Ok! Watch your recorded show. Don't skip the commercials. Get up and do some squats, push ups, crunches, high knees, whatever you want that works those muscles and raises your heart rate for the whole commercial break without even think about it. Just move. Do what you feel like. Don't be too lazy.... Actually work at it, at least a little bit.... Do this for 30 minutes to an hour of TV watching and the guilt is gone. Added bonus-exercise replaced trips to the kitchen for junk during commercials:)!! Keep some water close by and drink while you watch your shows.

There's always a solution. Instead of excuses, we really just have different options. Instead of excuses, we really just have life. Instead of excuses, we really just have interruptions and speed bumps. A different outlook can make all the difference. You do what you can with what you have to work with. You set a goal to be healthy. Don't allow anything to ruin it. You owe it to yourself. You know you love to feel and look your best. It's not going to magically happen on it's own. You have to make it happen.