Five Tips to Revive Broken New Year's Fitness Vows

There's still time to rescue that resolution

The holidays may be a distant memory, but across the nation, people are haunted by their broken New Year's resolutions. Tops among those goals are losing weight and getting in shape. Unrealized fitness resolutions cause frustration, regret and discouragement for many who really do want a healthier, fit lifestyle.

"There's nothing wrong with resolving to get fit, but so many resolutions fail because they approach fitness in the wrong way," says Jeff Fliehs, director, Life Time Fitness personal training. "Any time is a good time to get started on a fitness program; don't be discouraged if you haven't started the year off just the way you'd hoped."

Fliehs shares Life Time Fitness' tips for rescuing your fitness resolution:

1. Relax. Remember that fitness is a continuous pursuit. You have the rest of your life to improve it—not just this winter or before swimsuit season starts. The goal is to improve a little bit every day, not to go from couch potato to triathelete in three weeks. Don't put too much pressure on yourself or you'll set yourself up for frustration and failure.

2. Research. Give some forethought to your fitness approach. Many fling themselves into running or working with equipment without thinking if they really like it. Find something you like to do, because you're much more likely to stick with it if you do. And collect information about your body—things like weight, pulse rate, body fat content—before you start.

3. Reach short-term goals. Know where you're at to begin with, so you can decide where you want to go. List some achievable, measurable targets by which to track your progress. A personal trainer is great for helping you determine what these goals should be. Remember that a complete fitness program should incorporate fitness, nutrition and education for optimum results.

4. Reality check. Many fitness resolutions are too aggressive or even impossible. Be realistic. If you've been sedentary for years, a walk around the block may equal success. Good fitness is gradual, measured improvement. No matter what the television says, you're not going to have perfect abs or the body you had 20 years ago in 10 minutes a day. If you think you will, you're bound to fail.

5. Review. Know that you'll have to make adjustments and course corrections along the way. Track your progress and listen to your body. If something doesn't feel right, don't force it. If you start running and it bores you to tears, try something else. Try mixing activities to keep the interest level high.

Resolving to be fit is important, but it's also important to have a reasonable plan, to have good information about how to succeed and to make sure that your goals are achievable and reasonable. With this approach, short-term setbacks won't cause long-term failure. It's never too late to start again and start right.

For more information on Life Time Fitness, visit www.lifetimefitness.com.

Life Time Fitness, Inc. is a privately held health, fitness and nutrition company that operates 29 multi-purpose state-of-the-art sports, fitness and recreation centers in six national markets, including Minnesota, Illinois, Michigan, Ohio, Indiana and Washington, D.C. Additional Life Time Fitness expansion is under way in Arizona and Texas.

Life Time Fitness has set the industry standard in providing consumers with the absolute finest in sports and fitness centers, athletic events, adventure travel, full service spas, personal training consultation, health and nutrition education, corporate wellness programs, personal care products, and the most scientifically advanced nutritional products and supplements. The company is headquartered in Eden Prairie, Minn. and can be reached at (952) 947-0000 or on the Web at www.lifetimefitness.com.

Courtesy of ARA Content, www.ARAcontent.com, e-mail: info@ARAcontent.com

Back to Table Of Contents

Overcoming Workout Plateaus
By Lynn Bode

Humans are habitual. They strive on routine and rituals. It's true that routine can provide a sense of ease and security, but I think we'd all agree that the same old, same old can also turn to boredom. And when it comes to working out, routine can be downright toxic.

New exercisers often see quick fitness results such as weight loss and increased muscle strength while engaging in the same workout day after day. However, after several weeks following their fitness routines and consequently experiencing fitness improvements they often become frustrated as the gains begin to dwindle. Eventually dieters scales become frozen on the same number or weight lifters are stuck at the same weight size. They hit a plateau.

A plateau typically is the direct consequence of a fitness rut – when an exerciser performs the same workout over and over. The human body is very efficient and quickly adapts to work. Once the body practices the same activity repeatedly, it grows more proficient at performing those moves. So that means it requires less energy and therefore also burns less calories.

Instead of celebrating their body's improved fitness capabilities, exercisers often abandon their workouts. And who can blame them? After all, they no longer are seeing the results they desire and have become increasingly bored with their workouts. Plus, hitting a plateau not only can halt fitness gains, but it can even reverse previous successes. But, with just a few simple steps exercisers can easily break-through that brick wall and continue to reap all the rewards of regular physical activity.

Dodging the dreaded plateau is actually very easy. Variety is the key ingredient to continual fitness success. To avoid hitting a workout plateau, follow these recommendations.

To begin with, every workout routine should be changed about every 4- 6 weeks. The modification doesn't have to be dramatic. A totally new exercise is a possible option, but alteration of a current exercise can be just as effective.

A simple way to determine how to transform your current workout is using the F.I.T.T principle. F.I.T.T. stands for frequency, intensity, time and type. This strategy can be adopted for both cardio and resistance training. Frequency – increase or decrease how often you workout Intensity – increase or decrease the difficulty or level at which you workout. Time – increase or decrease how long your workout sessions last. Type – change the type of exercises you perform.

Frequency and Time are limited by an individual's schedule as well as appropriate rest time to ensure maximum efficiency and safety. But Intensity and Type are really only limited to creativity and planning.

Cardio exercise intensity can easily be varied through speed, incline, distance, height, etc. And of course the types of exercises are practically endless, so exercisers should never have the excuse that they've exhausted their exercise options. Good cardio examples include, walking, jogging, swimming, biking, hiking, etc. In addition, combining several of these exercises into one workout session can be very effective. Try 10 minutes each of 3-4 unique exercises.

Strength training intensity can also easily be altered with changes in resistance size, number of reps, rest time, number of sets and more. Even simply switching the sequence of the exercises can prove effective. There are also numerous strength training exercise options. Unfortunately, most exercisers are unaware of the plethora of training techniques and equipment options. They often get stuck performing the same 10 exercises over and over. Yet, there are hundreds of unique options. Simply utilizing new types of training equipment every 4-6 weeks can result in big improvements because each type of equipment will work the muscle groups in a slightly different manner. Gear options include: free weights, body bars, selectorized machines, resistance bands, fitness balls, and more.

So, to reduce your chances of hitting a plateau remember the F.I.T.T. principle. And approximately every 4-6 weeks choose one element of the principle to change (or even all four components). Incorporating this strategy will enable you to progress further and attain even higher fitness levels. It's just that easy!

Lynn Bode offers her personal training services online through her company, WorkoutsForYou.com. Workouts For You provides even the busiest of people affordable, personalized exercise programs (via the Internet)for losing weight, toning-up, building muscles & increasing stamina. The programs can be done on their schedule and at or away from home. Visit www.workoutsforyou.com for a FREE sample workout.