Do you believe getting into shape is about sacrifice? Are we to sacrifice and punish ourselves in order to be fit?
I don't think so. Is it a sacrifice to take time to shower or to make yourself a meal? Is it a sacrifice to take time to pray to God or read his word each day? I hope not!
If you see taking time out of your day to exercise or eating well as a sacrifice on your part, then you will eventually begin to resent it and stop. This is why diets fail because we deprive ourselves and restrict ourselves so greatly, that we soon grow to resent it.
When we make changes to our lives, they need to be changes that will enable us to be joyful always and to have a good attitude and enjoy what we are doing. God's will for us is to prosper us and not to harm us, to give us hope and a future. How can we have prosperity and hope if you are in constant resentment and have a negative attitude?
When you think about exercise, do you think about how you want to do something easy, something to just get it done, or do you want to challenge yourself and achieve something you have never achieved before?
We need to be constantly challenging ourselves and always going for a goal and enjoy doing it. Why do we run from challenge? Because we fear we will be in worse shape than before we started. We let our past rule our future. This is where walking in faith comes in. We have to walk in faith, not in our past, not walk by what we or the world sees or says, but we must walk in the faith that Jesus Christ gives us the ability, power and might to achieve anything if we trust in Him and honor Him in everything we do.
So change your attitude towards getting in shape. Stop viewing it as a sacrifice or a punishment. View it as a positive, fun, wonderful thing and thank God each day you have the capability to do it.
Building muscle is an important part in weight loss and having a fat burning metabolism. Our goal needs to be to build as much lean muscle tissue as possible. Since muscle is a very active tissue, it will aid in burning fat because it will always be used in just about any activity or exercise you do. For every pound of lean muscle you gain, your body burns 50 more calories. So the more muscle you have, the more fat and calories you burn. This is why it is so important to include resistance training such as weight lifting or exercise programs like Tae Bo that offer resistance bands, hand weights and other resistance training aids.
Choosing a resistance training workout to do 2-3X a week is a great way to begin or you can begin strength training by lifting weights.
So, how do you split your workouts? Which body parts should you work on which days? There are a number of ways to split your routine and there's no right or wrong way to do it. That isn't very helpful is it? Okay, to clear things up for you, I've listed some common split routines below, although these aren't your only options by any means.
Divide your workout into upper body and lower body. If you do this, you can alternate the workouts and lift 2, 3 or 4 times each week.
Divide your workout into push/pull exercises. Pushing exercises usually involve the quads, calves, chest, shoulders and triceps. For this workout, you might combine squats, calf raises, bench press, overhead press and dips, just to name a few. Pulling exercises often involve the back, hamstrings, some shoulder exercises, biceps and abs. So, for this type of workout would include, for example, lat pulldowns, hamstring curls, upright rows, bicep curls and crunches.
Divide your workout into a 3-day split where you split upper body work into a push/pull routine and work your lower body on a separate day. A typical three day split like this would include: Day 1: Chest-Triceps, Day 2: Back-Biceps, Day 3: Legs-Shoulders.
Lift weights for one muscle group per day. In this type of workout, your week might look like this: Chest, Back, Shoulders, Arms and Legs.
The general rule of thumb is that, as you reduce the number of body parts you're working, you should increase the number of exercises you're doing (pick about 3 exercises per muscle group) and the number of sets you're doing (around 3-4 sets).
Don't forget, your routine should also include cardio exercise. It's best to try to keep your strength and cardio workouts separate (either on different days or different times of day), but if you're pressed for time, doing cardio and strength in the same workout isn't the end of the world. Experiment with different schedules to find what works for you.
1. Running is the most efficient path to cardiovascular fitness. 30 minutes a day, four days a week will lead to a high level of fitness in the shortest possible time. Studies have shown that regular running can also reduce the risk of osteoporosis, breast cancer and diabetes and cut the risk of a heart attack in half for post-menopausal women.
2. Running is the most accessible of aerobic sports. No matter where you live an ideal area for running is almost always close by. There's no need to splash out on expensive membership fees, you don't need a team to participate and you don't need to worry about technical equipment.
3. Running is cheap and easy to learn. All you need is a good pair of running shoes and decent clothing.
4. Running is the best method of stress reduction on the market. 30 minutes of running works wonders in decreasing the stresses of the day.
5. Running is an excellent component of any weight control program.
6. Running is a flexible method of training. You can run at your own pace, with or without company, at whatever time of day that suits you.
7. Running increases your overall sense of well-being. Fitness, self-esteem and confidence all increase with exercise.
8. Running is for families and individuals of all ages. There are running programs for kids, races and events for families. You can even run with your babies thanks to the baby jogger!
9. Running is a great social activity. Millions of people already run for health, fun, fitness and competition and there are running clubs in almost every community in the country.
10. Run because you have two good legs and you can! Running can be so freeing and I thank God for the ability to be able to do it!
If you are interested in running in a 5K race, go to Cool Runnings and get a training routine called Couch to 5K
Protein Bars are a great way to give you a quick boost during the day, but not all bars are good for you. It is also a good idea to limit them to one per day. Here are some nutritional guidelines to follow when choosing a protein bar. Stay within these goals
150-225 calories
10-20 grams protein
under 25 grams carb
under 7 grams fat
under 10 grams of sugar
My favorite choices are
Luna S'mores Bars
Pria Complete Chocolate Peanut Butter Crisp
Nugo Double Dark Chocolate
If I ever have a craving for a candy bar or a not so good dessert, these always cure my craving too.
I never recommend replacing a meal with a protein bar. They should be used as snacks or as an addition to a meal like breakfast.
