Guest Post: Friday FITspiration Week 4/4

This is the last post we have with Stephanie from Infinite Life Fitness  to give us some tips & tricks to help us achieve our fitness goals. This chick is fabulous and the more I read her blog, the more motivated I get. We will also announce the GIVEAWAY winner today too!

Hello my fellow fitness enthusiast.  Sad to say this, but this is my LAST Friday FITspiration on this blog! But don’t be sad! You can find more Friday FITspiration every Friday on my health and fitness blog infinitelifefitness.com!

Today I would like to share some tips on creating the other important component to reaching your health and fitness goals.  YOUR WORKOUT!  Eating right and your fitness routine are the two key things that you have to be consistent with in order to reach your health and fitness goals in a desired time frame.  

As I have stated in every post previous to this, before you embark on a new fitness routine please make sure you are cleared by your doctor first!  Also, if you work out and start to feel extreme pain STOP!  It is ok if you feel a slight discomfort, but if it is an extreme pain that means you may be doing something wrong or you hurt yourself!

When creating your own workouts you have to be aware of your resources.  Will you have a gym that you can use?  Will you have to work out at home or outside? Does your job offer some kind of incentive for working out? Do you have any other spaces/facilities you can use to complete a workout?

If your job offers incentives for working out you would be a fool not to participate!! At my company they offer a discounted health package, we get a FREE membership to a local gym, we get free evaluations every 4 months, plus a whole list of other opportunities to allow people the chance to participate in a healthy lifestyle.  If you are unsure, it would be best to go to your Human Resources adviser and see if they have anything like that.

If you have a gym to use, the best thing to do is ask the manager (or if they have onsite training) if they can show you around the gym and how to use the machines.  If you are using the machines incorrectly you could potentially hurt yourself or worse not get the true benefit of working out that day.  Working out in the gym allows you the chance to use the cardio machines as well as lift weights.  The key to losing weight and sculpting the body you want is a mix of cardio AND strength training.  Now ladies, I promise you will not get big and bulky like a body builder if you lift weights!! Lifting weights will allow you the chance to strengthen and tighten your muscles so when you start to lose those unwanted pounds your body will look firm and fit (not saggy and droopy).  You want to not lift heavy the first few sessions you have until you know how much you can lift and what exercises you can do.  My rule I tell my clients is if you can lift it 10 times without extreme muscle fatigue than you are doing good and gradually build up the weight every 4-6 weeks.  I would suggest doing 3-5 sets with 8-15 reps in each set.  This is where you get to create your own workout plan and decide which exercises you want to do!

With cardio, the key is to get your heart rate up and maintain it for about 30 minutes.  I always suggest a 10 minute warm up and then go right into your more intense cardio session.  This can be done on the treadmill, elliptical, bike, stairmaster, or any other machine they may have for you to use.  Again, start off slower and then start to build up your speed and resistance.

For those who do not have a gym to attend there are SO many resources you can use in your home or outside.  I know the weather may be bad in some areas so you may be forced to stay inside for your workout.  There are dozens of circuit training videos you can find online to use in your home.  You can also do things like jumping rope, jumping jacks, lunges, and sit ups in the comfort of your home!  I usually tell clients that they can do these things WHILE THEY WATCH THEIR FAVORITE TV SHOW AT NIGHT! It is a great trade off because you kill two birds with one stone.  You get your workout done and you get to see your favorite weekly show.

There are so many other routines you can do in your home, at your local park, around your neighborhood, or maybe even at your kid’s school.  You just have to be aware of your resources and use them!  For more fitness exercises you can do for your workout or healthy food ideas please feel free to visit my blog!

And as with any other extreme activities that you would like to do, please consult with your physician first before you embark on any kind of physical activity, meal plans, or any other activities that may be harmful to you or your health needs.  

I hope the tips I shared with you will help you guys start planning out your NEW and HEALTY fitness lifestyle!  For other daily health and fitness tips please feel free to check out my blog at infinitelifefitness.com. Have a happy and healthy weekend!