October 30th, 2008 — Weight Loss Journal, activities, alternative ideas, exercise, gym
As summer winds to a close, it’s time to start thinking about what you plan to do to keep fit over the winter. If your current exercise plan requires you to be outdoors, or if you live in an area where extreme temperatures or weather events make it hard to travel to a gym, it’s important to put together a plan that will allow you to keep fit, no matter how bad the weather gets.
Many people make the mistake of forgetting to make their plans, and end up completely off their fitness tracks just a few months into winter. If you don’t want this to happen to you, the key is making sure that you are prepared. It doesn’t take long to come up with alternative plans and if you’re already to go, it won’t be any big deal to implement your plan when bad weather hits. Here are a few ideas to get you going.
1. Consider indoor swimming.
This is a great way to stay fit in winter, and if you live in an area where it is very cold outside, there is nothing quite like getting in a nice heated pool. Swimming is great cardio exercise and there is no impact, so it is perfect for those that are either coming off of an injury, or for those that aren’t quite ready for strenuous exercise. Even though it’s joint friendly, you can still get quite a workout by swimming a few laps. Most towns should have at least one indoor swimming pool and larger cities will have gyms that offer this feature.
2. Walk inside.
If you are into walking to keep fit, transferring your walks indoors will ensure that you are able to stick with your exercise plan no matter how cold it gets. Consider signing up at a gym that has an indoor track, or you can always walk for free at a local mall. Walking is a great way to get your heart pumping, and it’s also one of the easiest ways to get exercise.
3. Start a gym membership.
If you need to use exercise equipment, or you want the structure that a class can bring your exercise plan, you may want to consider signing up at a nearby gym. The one downside is that you may not be able to get to the gym if there is bad weather, but you can also set up alternative plans for those days ahead of time.
If you don’t want to work out at a gym, but you would still like to get a good workout, consider picking up a few pieces of workout equipment and making a small home gym that you can use anytime, rain or shine. You can even get great deals on equipment at local garage sales or even consignment stores.
Winter doesn’t have to mean an end to all of your hard work and great progress. By planning ahead, you’ll be able to stay on your fitness track all year round.
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October 20th, 2008 — activities, alternative ideas, exercise, gym
If your budget is keeping you from making a commitment to exercise, there are numerous free or low cost methods currently available. You don’t have to purchase an expensive membership at the gym, or buy expensive equipment for a home gym in order to get fit. Let’s go over some of the best free to low cost ways that absolutely anyone can get their exercise.
1. Tag along.
If you must workout at a gym, find a friend that already has a membership. Most gyms will allow members to bring a guest and this will allow you all the same benefits, but you won’t have to pay a dime. We do recommend doing something nice for your friend to say thank you, but if you are really on a budget, this is a very easy way to get a full gym membership without having to pay a dime.
2. Search yardsales.
Lots of people buy expensive exercise machines that they never, ever use. You can find some truly remarkable deals on equipment simply by browsing through a few yard sales. At this point, most people will be willing to sell that expensive exercise equipment for pennies on the dollar, since it’s just sitting around reminding them that they aren’t using it. Just make sure that doesn’t happen to you!
3. Try circuit training at the park.
You don’t have to go to a gym to workout, you can do it just about anywhere. Take a trip to a nearby park and use the benches for your stretches, run around on the hiking paths and then break up your workout with little bursts of different activities. This is a very easy way to get out and enjoy the day while you are saving money.
4. Get a trial membership at the gym.
Most gyms will allow thirty to sixty day trials for new members to get an idea of whether they want to become full members. You can get in quite a lot of exercise during that time and they may even have a special offer that will make your membership cheaper when your trial is done.
5. Walking is free.
As gas prices go up, it’s becoming harder and harder for people to make ends meet. Try walking more and driving less. Not only will you be getting free exercise, but you’ll also be saving money while you are at it. Now, granted, you can’t walk everywhere, but if it is less than two miles, strongly consider using foot power instead of car power.
6. Checkout workout videos from the library.
Most libraries will have a pretty decent selection of workout videos that you can checkout and use at home. This is a very cheap way to try out new videos or you can just keep checking your favorites out time and time again.
These are just a few examples of easy ways that you can exercise cheaply. Get creative and see what options are available in your area. Remember, walking is always free and so is jogging.
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June 11th, 2008 — alternative ideas, exercise, goals, gym
Let's face it, when it comes to starting an exercise plan, few of us actually enjoy it. Who wants to get all tired and sweaty when it's so much easier to sit on the couch and languish? This causes most of us to make excuses and find ways to keep busy so that we have a reason to avoid exercising. However, there are ways that you can get past this stage and make that effort towards getting healthier. And you know what? Once you start exercising regularly you'll most likely find that you feel better when you're done. That's right, eventually you will like exercising.
So, let's start off at ground zero. You need to exercise, but you don't want to. First, make a list of all the reasons that you need to start exercising. Now, next to this column, make a list of the reasons that you don't want to exercise. Let's take a look at that second column and start blowing these excuses away.
Biggest excuse - you don't have enough time.
Well, there are several ways to look at this. Most of us need to exercise at least thirty minutes a day. While it's better to get it done all at once, there's no rule that says you have to do thirty minutes in one sitting. Can you find three 10 minute blocks in your day where you usually do nothing? Turn that time into exercise time! It may not be easy if you're at work, but there are ways that you can start exercising even on the job.
Second biggest excuse - I'm embarrassed to go to the gym in my current state.
Yes, walking into the gym and being the biggest person there is not fun. However, chances are, those people looked just like you at one time or another. You don't need to feel ashamed of your body. If you find that you're not welcome at one gym, try another. If all else fails, get some exercise equipment for you home or start a walking plan around your neighborhood. Keep at it until you feel comfortable enough to walk into the gym.
Third biggest excuse - The gym is too far away.
This is one of the few excuses that actually makes a lot of sense. We're all pretty busy and driving that extra twenty minutes out of our way doesn't fit into our schedules. If you cannot find a gym that is within a short distance of your home or work, try to get some exercise equipment of your own, or find ways to exercise that don't require actual equipment, such as walking or running.
Fourth biggest excuse - I'm too out of shape and it's too hard.
Well, with this mentality, you're never going to get anywhere. Instead of leaping into a marathon training regime, you're going to need to start small. Build up your exercise in five minute blocks, adding more moves until you are able to do them all at once. This helps you gradually get into better shape and it's not so hard to get started.
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