Tag: cross training

Find your “happy workout” :)

Find your “happy workout” :)

What is a “happy workout”?  A “happy workout” is finding a routine or exercise that you are tremendously passionate about and love so that you can enjoy your workout and what it has to offer you!  One important thing to remember about being consistent with your workouts is making sure you have a workout routine or exercise that you look forward to rather than dread.  The key to being consistent is trying different workout routines and exercises and finding one you feel comfortable with, works the part of the body you want to improve, and makes you look forward to working out.  For example, you might consider zumba classes, cross training classes, walking, running, swimming, yoga, etc.  Once you find an exercise or routine that you enjoy, stick with it.  Don’t feel like you need to change it, especially if you are considering changing to a routine or exercise you don’t like to do.  You are far more likely to give up or not follow through if you don’t like your workout, leaving you frustrated and stressed.

If you become bored with your workout and no longer look forward to it, you know it is time to change it and find something new to keep you going.  You don’t have to keep the same workout every day or every week, but I do suggest that you find a workout routine or exercise that makes you look forward to it.  This will encourage you to workout each day and increase your chances of seeing success.  It may be a workout routine that lasts 2 years or it may be a workout routine that lasts 2 months, but either way it is to your advantage to not only find something you love, but something you love with a passion.  It can be something as simple as jumping rope, a routine you do with an app on your smartphone, a YouTube video, or a routine of pictures you found online.  No matter what it is, if you enjoy it and find it to be something that helps you relieve stress and break a sweat, then you have found “your” workout.  A workout that you have a passion for and look forward to doing sometime during your day.

So, get EXERCISING, have fun, and make sure you LOVE it!  If you don’t love it, then ditch it and find something new (such as some of the options above)!

~jj

Reps & sets…count your way to success!

Reps & sets…count your way to success!

I was thinking about the blog while I was working out this week to determine what might be a good entry.  My inspiration came from my actual workout because I am a strong believer in counting reps and sets so that I can track and see my improvement over time.  For example, I make sure I do 3 sets of 50 reps of crunches each day.  Then the following day I make sure I do at least equal to that or more.

Further, sets and reps can be a great way to improve over time and keep you on track so you don’t lose progress that you have made due to fluctuation in the number of reps you achieve during each set.  For example, doing 100 reps one week, 150 the next, and then 90 the following week.  It is important to try to build upon your workout and one way to do that is through continuous counting of reps and sets.  I do an abundance of cross training, trail hiking, and walking.  One thing I always do when I am cross training is make sure that I do 3 sets of reps.  So, if I do jumping jacks, squats, lunges, etc I do 3 sets.  Rather than doing 3 straight sets of 40 reps when I do jumping jacks, squats, lunges, etc I do a “warm-up” set, “build up” set, and a “cool down” set.   First, I usually have a specific number for my total set goal such as 150 reps.  I then split my total set goal into reps per set.  For example, my “warm-up” set might be 1-50, followed by a “build up” set of 51-115, and my “cool down” set of 116-150.   I find this particularly helpful because it allows me to warm myself up to the exercise, then really push myself to the max to build my strength, and then cool down during the last set so that I can be prepared to push myself when I start my next set of exercises.

When I do trail hiking or running, I try to set a distance or amount of time that I will run and I make sure that I meet that goal so that I am not going out for a run without having a distance or time goal set.  This helps push me farther and work harder to run or walk longer than I initially might have anticipated if I were to go without setting a distance or time goal.

So, next time you workout, remember that counting your reps and sets is a great way to track your progress, conquer your fitness goals, and help you increase your strength.

~jj

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