Your body like your mind is your temple. Moving allows it to come to life freeing restrictions, creating new neural paths in the center of your brain, heart and belly. Feel the wind beneath your wings and Sweat drip down your face, as you get stronger everyday! – Cindy
I know a lot of you have umpteen reasons why you can’t get yourself to workout either because of time limitations, it doesn’t seem necessary, or inertia sets in making it difficult to put it into action. Some of you suffer from injuries or pain, depression etc. so I get how difficult it can be, really I do, but can I tell you a secret?
You Can’t Afford NOT to Work Out!
It’s vital to your health. There are so many forms of working out so you can be as creative as you can imagine and make it your own.
Still need a reason?
I will send my bodyguard over to “snap” you into shape if I have to. LOL
One of the biggest mistakes people make is waiting until they have time for a full hour workout and then doing nothing because they don’t think minutes count.
Well, guess what? They do!!! Minutes count and making them part of your daily routine and sneaking them in adds up and makes a difference.
If you have an hour by all means, do it…. Walk, bike, do yoga, lift weights, dance etc. But if you don’t; put the music on for 10 min and dance or go for a quick walk, when you get off the couch, do some squats or stretch, do a few core exercises, etc. Do that 3 times through the day and you have 30 min. under your belt. 6 x’s 60 min.
WOW… Right?!!!! Never again tell me you don’t have time.
Why Workout?
- It’s vital for your General health; moving toxins and getting the blood flowing, it lowers blood pressure, moves lymph, reduces insulin levels thus helping with diabetes.
- It gets your cardiovascular system going which is good for your heart, lowers your pulse rate so your heart doesn’t have to work as hard. You lose weight and burn more calories keeping your BMI and waist circumference to an optimal level.
- It Elevates your mood: Serotonin is released which is the hormone that aids in brain function and feeling good which wards off depression and anxiety and hey, we all need that especially right now.
- It is good for memory and Alzheimer’s: A head Dr. From Stanford Hospital did a talk and he referenced the 4 most important things to help stave off Alzheimer’s.
The 4 most Important things to help Alzheimer’s are:
1. Exercise
2. Exercise
3. Exercise
4. A healthy Diet and optimal weight
Yes, more beneficial than crossword puzzles and music which are of course good too.
5. It strengthens your bones and is good for Bone Density
6. Your skin looks healthier.
Don’t Have a Gym?
Well, most of us don’t but you do have a body which is heavier than any weight you can lift so
KISS………!
Keep it Simple Stupid.
What you need for your You’re home Gym:
Shoes: that’s all you need for walking
A mat: for exercises and stretching
Free weights: if you want them
Bands:
Besides which it’s Covid free and I don’t know about you but I’m not heading anywhere near a gym except my own right now.
People think because I’m in the business, it’s easy to do but the truth is, it isn’t and I don’t always love it but I have reaped the benefits of all of the above so I prioritize it in my life and just do it like Nike tells us. I hate advertising but I do love that saying they coined so well. I also know variety is important to the body and brain so I mix things up. If you want your body to change you have to mix it up.
How much Exercise do we actually need a day?
Here are the Guidelines most all fitness professionals agree with along with the CDC agree on:
- Moderate-Intensity Aerobic activity. Get at least 150 minutes of moderate aerobic activity every week.
- Vigorous-Intensity Aerobic activity. Get at least 75 minutes of vigorous aerobic activity every week.
- An equivalent mix of moderate and vigorous intensity aerobic training.
- Strength training. Do strength training exercises for all major muscle groups on 2 or more days a week that work on all major muscle groups (legs, hips, back, abdomen, chest, shoulders, and arms).
I like to break this down into weekly segments of 30 min a day but you can do whatever suits your schedule best.
To be considered vigorous, an activity should meet or exceed a level of 6 to 7, which is considered hard on the RPE scale. This includes jogging, biking, or swimming. The RPE is the rate of perceived exertion that you personally determine similar to the pain scale. Each of us have our own personal level we must listen to.
The Break Down:
Break this down to 5 times a week of 30 min walks. Or whatever distribution of time that suits your schedule best.
Strength Training for 2-3 days or 5 days with splits. If you are limited on time this is a great way to divide your training.
If you are short on time and it works better for you to split your routine into several short workouts throughout the day, do it! Any exercise is better than none! Don’t worry that you won’t burn as many calories or get good results.
Stretching is vital to do in some form or another. Yoga is my go to.
Circuit train which gets your cardio in as well as your strength and cuts your workout time down considerably: 30 min is equal to a
Examples of this are:
CrossFit – Designed to improve your overall physical abilities, including your endurance, strength, flexibility, speed, coordination, balance, and more. Combines many forms of exercise, high intensity.
Circuit stations training – Circuits are made up of exercise for a determined period of time, followed directly by rest or active recovery.
Tabata – a timed interval method that alternates between 20-second intervals performed at maximum effort and 10-second stages of rest, repeated eight times for the ultimate exhaustive four-minute workout.
H.I.I.T. – As you can tell from the name, high-intensity interval training (HIIT) is challenging. It takes your cardio workout to another level, as you push your pace out of your comfort zone. You can use HIIT with any type of cardio workout, whether it’s running, using a stair climbing machine, rowing, or jumping rope.
My Personal Workout Schedule:
I walk an hour about 4 days a week and 1 time a week an hour and a half
Yoga for 30 min 3-4 days a week and an hour 1 time a week Circuit train 2 times a week.
Strength Training: 2 times a week
Daily Meditation: 15- 20 minutes
Tai Chi and Qigong 3-4 days a week 20 min.
My Favorite Workout
My favorite workout is integrating a warm up of about 5 minutes, mixing in Yoga and Strength with light weights and ending with a meditation. This way I integrate everything that is needed in a work out in the most efficient use of my time.
Here is a 40 minute sample workout that you can and should try out yourself.
Remember to stretch and drink plenty of water.
JUST DO IT and please let me know how it goes.
Stay Fit, Have Fun, Be the Light and Be Strong!
You’ve Got This!
Love,
Cindy
Thanks for Reading and please remember to like (if you do of course), comment and or share. I truly appreciate your precious time and support.
