Whether or not you’re a seasoned gym veteran or someone just looking to create an exercise regime for the first time, all of us encounter problems with commitment. A US study in 2021 found that exercising more and improving fitness (50%), losing weight (48%), saving money (44%), and improving diet (39%) were listed as the most popular New Year’s resolutions. Of these aspiring individuals, only 35% reported keeping all their resolutions. That’s a whopping 65% who failed to come up with the goods on at least one resolution.
It seems that people from across the aisle can agree that physical health is a top priority yet actually settling down to do the work has proven to be far more difficult. A proper workout regime is one that not only improves your fitness which in turn can lead to weight loss but can also help you achieve other goals such as improving your diet, saving money, and bettering your sleep schedule.
Working Smarter, Not Harder
As with all good things, there is such a thing as too much. When it comes to physical exercise, your regime needs to be balanced with workouts that are not only excessively long but also balanced in their approach towards your various muscle groups. A workout is made up of both aerobic and anaerobic exercise. Understanding the difference is key to knowing where to put most of your energy to reap the greatest results.
Aerobic is a term which means ‘with air’. Aerobic exercise is characterized by long, extended periods at mild to moderate intensity. Some examples include jogging, swimming, jumping rope and playing sports. Aerobic exercise is most effective at building endurance whilst also improving cardiovascular and respiratory function, thus decreasing your chances of various cardiovascular diseases such as heart attack, stroke and diabetes as well as decreasing your chances of injury.
Anaerobic exercise on the other hand; ‘without air’, is defined by its short, interrupted bursts of high intensity. This typically involves using about 80-90% of your body’s maximum heart rate and pushing your body to its limit. Some examples include weight lifting, resistance training and sprinting. The greatest benefit of anaerobic exercise is its ability to build muscle and bone mass which it does far more effectively than aerobic exercise. This consequently decreases the risk of ailments such as osteoporosis later in life.
Properly balancing your workout regime with room for both aerobic and anaerobic exercise will ensure you reach your fitness goals more effectively whilst also keeping you safe. Make sure you don’t overexert yourself in one field only to get injured or lose confidence and spread yourself out more evenly.
Do the Time, Don’t Let the Time Do You
Sources such as Harvard Health recommend that individuals exercise for at least 30 minutes daily although children ages 6 to 17 are prescribed at least 60 minutes a day. All in all, making the time for exercise in your day is vital because as soon as you find yourself disorganized, you start making excuses for yourself. Once you start making excuses, you give up on the regime all together.
Here are some quick tips to help you follow through with your plan:
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Set Up an Easy to Follow and Consistent Schedule Every Day: Making the action repetitive allows your brain to get used to it until eventually it doesn’t feel like a chore anymore.
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Bring A Partner Along: Having an environment where you can see others working hard around you gives you the motivation to do the same. While gyms and community centres are closed, invite a close friend, spouse, or kids to join in on the fun.
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Short and Sweet: You can divide your workout into different sections, each focusing on a specific muscle group so that your workouts aren’t too much of a time burden or source of overexertion.
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Early Bird Workout: While it may seem difficult beyond belief to have to wake up extra early in the mornings to work out, this is when your workouts are the most effective. An effective early morning jog or gym session can give you the energy and motivation to last you the whole day.
The Benefits You Don’t Hear Enough About
An effective workout, one that is predicated on your improved fitness is also one that has far-reaching effects. For one, regular exercise has been shown from a mental point of view to reduce levels of anxiety and depression in participants since serotonin, a hormone secreted during exercise, is a mood booster/stabilizer.
What this translates into is not only better mood but also heightened productivity at work, higher levels of energy reported and improved quality of sleep at night. These effects have also been observed to be the most prevalent when participants exercised early in the morning.
Finally, when it comes to losing weight as so many aspire to do when creating a workout regime, many forget that ultimately diet is a greater factor in one’s weight management. But don’t you worry, one of the major benefits of regular exercise, particularly aerobic exercise is that it decreases our appetite by making us crave food less often and also become fill up faster on food. This diet management is a major part contributing to people’s weight loss.
Which Exercises Are Most Effective?
The human body contains 7 major muscle groups: arms (biceps and triceps), legs (quads), calves, chest (pectorals), back (dorsal), abdominals and shoulders (deltoids).
All of these muscle groups play a vital role in our physical fitness and if not taken care of can lead to some nasty side effects. Ultimately, if you come in as a beginner or even intermediate, it’s always best to start off your exercise regime with a full body workout in mind.
Focusing too much on a particular area of the body might be fine for professional athletes whose exercise regimes last 3 hours a day of high intensity training as a minimum but not for your average Joe. In fact, this type of specialization may actually be harmful for less experienced gym goers and might cause a condition known as muscle imbalance which can decrease mobility, lead to aching pains, and increase your risk of injury.
Playing the Long Game to Win Big
At the end of the day, it’s always better to be safe than sorry. Waiting at least 48 hours before exercising the same muscle group gives your body ample time to fully recover. This not only keeps you safe but also allows for you to break down your muscle fibers more effectively and thus force your body to work harder to rebuild. The process your body takes to rebuilding muscles leads to them growing in size and you in strength.
The most common of exercises that incorporate as many muscle groups as possible such as: burpees, dumbbell presses, dumbbell rows, deadlifts, kettlebell lunges and more!
What You Can Do from Home
The best workouts are the ones that can be done at any time, anywhere with the least cost for you. An exercise regime is only as effective as you being able to stay true to it. One of the factors that affect that is its convenience and accessibility.
A workout that you can consistently perform in the comfort of your own home 24/7 is one that you have control over and one where you can dictate the terms instead of your local community centre. At Fitness Avenue, we understand the need for that independence which is why we offer a wide assortment of affordable high-quality gym equipment and fitness gear to help you reach your fitness goals.
With an online fitness shop offering online ordering, delivery, free shipping, and curbside pickup options, we hope to give you the tools to make that New Year’s resolution possible. If you wish to learn more, don’t hesitate to visit us at www.fitnessavenue.ca or contact us at info@fitnessavenue.ca for more information today!
