Tag: Fitness

What gets you motivated to workout, or to eat well? I know that sometimes this is a struggle for me and if I create a habit that makes exercise a part of my day automatically then it will happen.

Today is a very snowy day in Calgary (how many times has that come up on this blog?) and I know that my normal daily schedule tomorrow is going to get thrown off. I like to get on my bike and ride to work but there is no way that I can ride in a foot of snow and will take the bus instead.

Eating is the same way. I have a plan in the morning of exactly what goes into my lunch bag and I know right now that I will be having oatmeal for breakfast, bringing an apple and orange for snacks as well as a coke and chocolate bar and I will be having chicken left over from tonights dinner

Here are some tips to get that motivation that you need if you are struggling.

Plan Ahead Instead Of Motivating Yourself

Just as I wrote earlier it is a good idea to plan you evercise and meals ahead of time. If you know that you are going kickboxing every Tuesday night and every morning you are going to get up and ride an exercise bike while watching the news then you will do it.

If you just decide to take things as they come then everything else in life will get in the way.

Make A List Of Your Favorite Kinds Of Exercise

Make a list of all the types of exercise that you like to do. Just because running is good for you is not any good if you do not like running. A list of things that you like to do or want to try will give you a chance to try new things and have a list of what kind of exercise that you will do during the week.

Not only is this a good way to get those new things into your schedule but you will also be a lot more excited when you get to the point of exercising for the day instead of it looking like drugery.

Plan Your Exercise In Short Bursts

We have all seen those lists that work well. Try to park a few blocks from work everyday. Take stairs instead of the elevator. Go for a walk at lunch.

These ways of working out are not easy to start. On Monday morning you make a decision to do these things and then you just do them. On Tuesday you can just dovetail what you did Monday into making Tuesday the same way.

After the first week of doing this you will look forward to that quiet time on your walks, weeling your muscles as you go up the stairs and getting away from the computer at lunch.

The habits that you have in your life now were motivations once as well and if you want to change them then just getting these few things right will just naturally change you lifestyle.

I hate the idea of motivating yourself to do exercise because you mind so often just does not want to agree and then you feel guilty for not doing what you need to do. It is just so much better not to have to motivate yourself with big plans when these little changes will make you much more healthy without much pain.

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A stiff legged deadlift is a great stretch to make sure that you are always improving your flexibility. Not only initially will you be able to tell how well you are doing, but as you improve your flexibility you will have better body control and your movement will be much better.

First remember if you are going to stretch you need to be very careful to only stretch after having warmed up. Stretching while you are cold can lead to muscle pulls.

Have a short 5 minute warmup of cardio so that you are sweating just a bit and your muscles are loose and warm and then do your stretches.

Doing A Stiff Legged Deadlift

Position: A standing position with the feet a comfortable distance apart, the knees locked and the barbell held in front of the legs with the elbows straight.

Action: Keeping both knees and elbows straight, the trunk is bent forward as far as is comfortable, then the erect position is regained.

Breathing: Exhale as the body is bent forward and inhale as the erect position is regained.

Starting Resistance: Most women will find a starting resistance of 25 lbs. quite comfortable and most men 40 lbs.

Goal: Girls and women should work up to a resistance of 50 lbs. Boys and men should work up to a resistance of 100 lbs. or more.

Results: This movement will develop and strengthen the large muscles of the lower back and will also strengthen those of the hips and back of the thighs. It is very necessary that these muscles be well developed and strong. They protect the spine and sacro-iliac joints from injury and their strength gives a margin of safety against low back pain and discomfort.

Comments: As the back is bent forward, the muscles in the back and the back of the legs are stretched extensively.

Because of differences in anatomical construction and flexibility, some children and adults will be able to bend forward and touch the floor easily, while others will not be able to bend much more than half the way down. The exerciser should not bend any further forward than is comfortable, but with practice the back will become more flexible and very strong.

In the fully stretched position with the knees locked and the hands close to the floor, much pressure is placed upon the inner borders of the intervertebral discs. The untrained individual invites low back trouble by lifting heavy objects in this position. The proper position to use in lifting heavy objects from the floor is to make the effort with the knees bent and the back relatively flat so that much of the effort is taken by the legs and the back is kept in relatively good position.

In advanced training of athletes who need great strength in the lower back, this movement is used through a short range of movement with very heavy resistance. The movement is started from a standing position and the bar is lowered to about the height of the knees.

During the motion the lower back is kept flat and fixed (never permitted to “round”) and the motion is made almost entirely from the hips. In this position the lumbar spine is kept in a strong position with little pressure on the front borders of the vertebrae. The bar is usually lowered to a predetermined height regulated by some support set at that position for the bar orweights to touch.

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Twitter for fitness

I wrote this Twitter for fitness  a couple years ago but just wanted to remind everyone to follow me on Twitter for more fitness tips

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I have decided to start something that is a little different just as an experiment. I will keep posting here but also will add lots of other links through a twitter account so that anyone using Twitter can get even more value without my regular blog readers being buried in article links from other blogs and news sites.

Twitter for fitness Tips

I have lots of ways to have people follow this blog. Just read it, follow through RSS, signing up for a newsletter, and now Twitter. Using Twitter for fitness

Twitter to me is like an instant messaging or SMS system that sends messages to no one in particular across the internet. The way that Twitter is used is that you sign up and then whenever you find a person who you want to see information from then you “follow” them on Twitter.

Following on Twitter for fitness is just a matter of going to the Twitter site or using a browser plugin to be alerted whenever one of your new friends posts a message, called tweets.

The posts that people make on Twitter are very short, up to 140 characters whereas on a blog you have unlimited space in which to writer long articles or posts. so usually tweets consist of a short comment and perhaps a link.

I have setup a Twitter for fitness account that sends a link out for each of my posts on this blog but also I am going to be sending through links to other interesting articles that just don’t make it onto the blog.

If you want to sign up to Twitter just click the link, you just need  to pick a username and password not even give up and email address. If you are a member already then you can follow Twitter for fitness by clicking “follow” at http://www.twitter.com/fitnessguy

Twitter for Fitness is the place to go for fitness tips.

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