Bored out of my mind !!!
What’s the #1 reason why folks stop exercising??? …BOREDOM…
We just get “bored to tears” at the thought of another 30 minutes on the treadmill or on the stationary bike, or on the…you name it!
But lets just admit that and Move On. We can define boredom as lack of motivation.
So motivation is the reas
on why we exercise and diet and expend energy to get fit. Even though most everyone knows that fitness is important for so many reasons, why are so many out of shape? Ask around and you may get several different reasons, but lack of motivation is probably the main culprit behind each excuse for not exercising.
Yes, it may be hard to fit exercise into your schedule. (We all could use more hours in our busy schedule.) But time is just another excuse since we all make time for what is really important in our lives. Motivation is, in other words, the reason why we exercise, diet and try to get fit. Without motivation we will quickly loose interest and stop caring about what food we eat and how we live our lives. With motivation, on the other hand, we can sustain an exercise, diet and fitness regime.
With proper motivation, we can live our lives to the fullest and not feel constantly under pressure. Keeping fit should not be a burden or something we hate doing. If it is, we will not keep up the activity and interest. Fitness must be fun and enjoyable. If we have a positive approach to fitness, exercise and diet, we can develop a healthy lifestyle without problems.
I exercise because I wish to remain healthy Exercise also helps me maintain my independence as I grow older. I don’t want to become a couch potato (or a burden) as I age. Instead, I hope to enjoy my grandchildren and great grandchildren. My clients tell me that they love the way they feel after working out and that they notice the difference when they miss a training session.
Even though I love to exercise, I will admit that some mornings I would rather spend that extra hour in bed, or getting caught up on my task list. But, I know that I will accomplish so much more if I spend even just a few minutes maintaining my fitness level. Usually, by the time I’ve walked the dog or worked out, I am thankful that I decided to get out of bed and get moving. By the time I’m finished, I’m feeling tired but great.
Finding something you enjoy may be the most challenging part, but once you get into the habit of exercising and start seeing results, you too will become excited and may even grow to love exercise. I have and I don’t want to quit!
Keep Up With Your Grandchildren
If we are going to exercise and train consistently, and steadily, we first need to find out what motivates us. In order to develop an exercise plan and schedule which you can maintain and which fits in comfortably to your lifestyle, list the top three reasons or goals you have to become fit. Identify what makes you want to get healthier, and to keep exercising. Some will be positive reasons to do with living longer to enjoy life with your family, or being fitter so you can play with the grandchildren or even get cheaper travel and health insurance.
If you are interested in fitness so that you can lose fat or increase your muscle mass, you should be aware of that this is going to get harder as you get older. It’s difficult to imagine just how important all the components of fitness are (strength, cardio and stretching) until we have grandchildren. It is then that we realize just how exhausting (and wonderful) it can be to spend time with your grandchildren!!!
Keeping fit should not be a burden or something we hate doing. If it is, we will not keep up the activity and interest. Fitness must be fun and enjoyable. If we have a positive approach to fitness we can develop a healthy lifestyle without problems.
….BANISH THE BOREDOM….
Ab Workout Deconstructed
Which part of the body do my clients want to improve the most? The abdominal region is always one of the top choices. As a professional fitness trainer I often need to temper my clients’ desire for “great abs” with training that will enhance their abdominal function and well-being.
Why is it so essential to strengthen the entire core region? For our aging population, strong abdominals are critical to assist in the activities of daily living and to maintain correct gait and posture. However, people of all ages benefit from stronger abdominals, including the mother who has to carry her newborn and the high-school student who could improve his or her posture.
Here is a breakdown of the major abdominal muscles:
• Transversus Abdominis. Containing the deepest fibers of the abdominal wall, the transversus abdominis functions to compress the abdominal contents. This compression increases trunk stability and aids in maintaining proper posture.
•Internal/External Obliques.When the obliques are activated on only one side of the body, they work with muscles in the back to perform moves that involve trunkrotation or lateral flexion. One example includes reaching into a shopping cart, grabbing a heavy bag of groceries, then twisting and placing it in the trunk of a car. When the obliques on both sides of the body contract simultaneously, they aid the rectus abdominis in flexing the vertebral column and compressing the abdominal wall.
•Rectus Abdominis. This muscle group flexes and rotates the lumbar region of the vertebral column. The rectus abdominis stabilizes the pelvis during walking and increases intra-abdominal pressure.
•Erector Spinae. These are the prime movers in back extension. The erector spinae consist of three columns: the iliocostalis, the longissimus and the spinalis. The erectors help maintain posture. For example, they enable you to hold a heavy object in front of your body and stand erect at the same time.
Abdominal exercises need to be done in a variety of positions and angles to fulfill the needs of the core musculature. The core region of the body generates and transfers power to the upper and lower extremities, as well as to stabilize the pelvis and lumbar spine. An area this vital to proper health and performance needs an exercise routine that addresses all the tasks the area is called to perform in daily activities.
The standard crunch, stability ball crunch and reverse crunch are all great exercises to work the rectus abdominis. Strengthening the obliques helps stabilize the core and strengthens moves requiring trunk rotation. For golfers, tennis players and other athletes who rotate the upperbody during their sport, these exercises will improve performance and help prevent injury.
Reverse aging in the brain?
Yes, we have heard that exercise can stave off or delay dementia — but did you know that regular cardio workouts can actually reverse aging in the brain? Last week the New York Times reported that “a team from the University of Illinois’ Beckman Institute reviewed dozens of past studies and found that aerobic exercise boosts not only speed and sharpness of thought but also the volume of brain tissue.” This is a quite extraordinary finding. Exercise has so many benefits to your health and well-being and to realize that you are actually building and increasing brain size makes perfect sense.
Exercise Tip: As little as 40 minutes of brisk walking 3 times a week can have this brain-expanding effect. For an added boost, walk in the park: University of Michigan researchers, in a recent study, found that “volunteers whose course took them through a tree-filled setting performed 20 percent better on memory and attention tests than those who walked downtown.” And remember to drink water before, during, and after you workout.
