Photograph by Len Spoden
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Get Fit Tips
Check each month for a tip to help you get motivated and get fit
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Battling Boredom (August 2005)
As Debbie wrote in Part 3, boredom can defeat all your good intentions to get in shape. To prevent the monotony that can make you want to skip workouts, try these strategies:
Add variety to your workout. Motivation to exercise often declines when you find yourself doing the same old workout. Our bodies can easily become used to the same exercise routine over a period of time. When this happens, the development process stops or slows down. To avoid plateaus, you should change your exercise routine every four weeks. For example, instead of walking on a flat surface, walk up a hill; ride a bike instead of running.
Enforce a time restriction. Try not to spend too much time exercising. You should a give yourself a time limit to complete your workout. This will ensure that your time is well spent striving towards your fitness goals.
Try motivational listening. Cardio machines can become boring when you’re watching the time go by. To counter the tedium, listen to your favorite songs—tunes that will have you eager to go the extra distance. The music you choose should be reserved for exercise time only.
—Mosi Tomlinson, a fitness consultant and trainer in Washington, D.C.
For more tips on this topic, see the advice from HealthForums.com.
Workout Intensity (July 2005)
Experts recommend the “talk test” if you’re aiming for a
moderate level of activity. If you can sing while exercising, you’re not
working hard enough. If you can easily talk but not sing, you’re
exercising at a moderate level. If you can’t talk without gasping,
you’re working too hard. More information on exercise intensity is
available from the
Better Health Channel or the federal Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention.
Another measure of activity is your heart rate. If you want to gauge the
intensity of your workout this way, check out about.com’s exercise
section, which has links to a variety of heart rate formulas and online
calculators for heart rate.
—Elizabeth Whitehouse, editor
How Often to Work Out (June 2005)
Exercise authorities recommend that strength training—working with
free weights or weight machines—be done 2 or 3 times a week, and aerobic
activity, 3 to 5 times a week. It’s best to do some stretching every day
to maintain flexibility.
Overwhelmed by those numbers? Start smaller. If you’re starting out
and working to build motivation, something is better than nothing: twice a week
could be a starting goal. This also applies to the length of your workout:
better to train for a shorter time than to skip a session.
As for duration, again, start easy if you need to. The American College of
Sports Medicine says that even 5-minute workouts can be a starting point for
beginners, with a goal of increasing to 30–45 minutes.
As you stick with it, you’ll find that consistency is the key to
reaping the benefits of exercise. Many people find they really start to feel
good after a few weeks of regular workouts.
—Elizabeth Whitehouse, editor
How Much Water Should You Drink? (May 2005)
Don’t judge by thirst: by the time you feel thirsty, you’re
probably already dehydrated. Experts recommend drinking 8–16 ounces of
water 15–30 minutes before working out, then drinking 4–8 ounces of
fluids every 10–20 minutes while exercising, and drinking more after
exercise. In hot weather, you’ll need more water than when it’s
cool.
Another way to tell if you’re taking in enough fluids is to check your
urine. A clear or pale color means adequate hydration. If urine is dark yellow
or gold, or you’re not producing much, you’re probably
dehydrated.
What about that danger we’ve been hearing about lately—drinking
too much water (leading to a dangerously low level of sodium in the blood)? It
can happen, but it’s not common. It’s more likely in endurance
athletes and people with certain medical problems (like congestive heart
failure). According to MayoClinic.com, “Drinking too much water is rare
in healthy adults who consume an average American diet.”
—Elizabeth Whitehouse, editor
Choosing a Personal Trainer (April 2005)
Perhaps you’re new to the gym or want to take your fitness program to
a new level. In either case, you may want to consider hiring a fitness trainer.
Proponents of personal training cite several benefits. For example:
- Your trainer can create a plan that specifically targets your weak
points
- Your workout is safer because you're supervised
- The trainer is a source of the latest fitness information
- You have someone dedicated to motivating you
If you decide you want to work with a trainer, choose carefully. The
American College of Sports Medicine's Personal
Trainer brochure is a detailed guide to selecting a fitness trainer. It
covers all the bases: certification, references, fees, and assessing whether a
trainer's personality is a good match for you.
—The Editors
Goal Setting and Exercise (March 2005)
When training for success, you need to set short-term and long-term goals.
It's human nature to want quick results, but the truth is that you must
prepare mentally for the journey ahead.
Short-term goals (like being able to climb stairs without getting winded)
are those that can be achieved within three to nine months. Long-term goals
(such as extreme weight loss or improved bone density) take at least a
year.
Having short-term goals tends to keep people more motivated, because they
see success quickly. Short-term goals are often stepping stones to a long-term
goal.
—Kunda Kimaro, CCS, CPT, a certified conditioning specialist in
Germantown, Maryland
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