What keeps me motivated?

Hi All,

Staying motivated to work out can be very tough for alot of people. Any of the following could be factors in keeping people from working out.

Tired of their routine
Tired from working too much
Not seeing results fast enough
Would rather be doing other things

I've come across each of these before and would like to share some of the things i've done to combat them.

Tired of the routine-For me its not really so much the routine that bothers me, but the intensity with which I go about it. I've been in the gym before and have been going through my workout and than i'll run into someone I know and end up talking to them for the next ten minutes. Anytime something like this happens it completely ruins my workout. I'll leave the gym saying to myself how bad the workout was and convince myself that my routine needs a change. The next time I workout i'll go in and do a similar routine without interruption and will leave the gym saying what a great workout I had. So i've come to realize that it has more to do with how I go about my workout than the routine i'm going through. Pace and intensity keys to getting yourself out of a workout rut.

Tired from working too much-We all have jobs that take up a large junk of our lives. There's no way around it. So you have to learn how to deal with it and avoid letting work get in the way of your fitness goals. If you know that you are going to be tired after work and will not work out than you have to change your workout time to the morning or afternoon if possible. Vice versa if your tired in the morning. Also remember that working out will give you energy if done with the right pace and intensity.

Not seeing results fast enough-If you're not seeing the results you want fast enough than you need to take an honest look at what you're doing and how disciplined you have been with it. If you want results you have to be all in with the fitness path you are following. You won't get there if you're doing it half way.

Would rather be doing other things-Everyone has a life and sometimes you'd rather be out fishing, playing with your kids, or going to a move than working out. It's totally understandable. One thing to ask yourself is how long do you want to be able to do these things? To have a quality of life as you get older it's imperative to stay fit. Strong muscles take pressure off the joints and ligaments and help prevent injury. Also you don't have to spend 2 hours in the gym everyday to stay fit. Cutting Edge has proven that with 30 minutes to Fitness. So the next time you think about skipping a workout to go to the beach remember that you still want to be do all those same beach activities when you get older.


Stay Fit and Stay Focused
Russ

Russ's Healthy Dinner Recipe

Ingredients:
Brown rice
Chicken
Mushrooms
Carrots
Broccoli
Water chestnuts
(I add green peppers)

1. Cut the chicken into strips
2. Mix a marinade of minced garlic, low sodium soy sauce, dash of hot pepper sauce, and ginger root.
3. Let chicken marinate for 1 hour
4. While you cook the rice in 2 cups of water for 40 minutes with 1/2 tblsp of sea salt Cook the chicken in a pan with 2 tblsp of EVOO.
5. Once the chicken is cooked through add the veggies and cook until soft.

Healthy Meal Completion - Serve the chicken and veggies over the rice or on the side if you like.

Train Hard, Sleep Hard

Rest, relaxation and sleep are very important when it comes to your body. Lack of sleep can cause stress which will hinder muscle development. The average sleep needs for adults over the age of 18 is 7.5 to 9 hours per night. Chronic lack of sleep can cause fatigue, lethargy, and lack of motivation. These are definitely three things you do not want to bring to the gym with you. So make sure to get the sleep that your body needs. Your workouts will improve and the results will follow.

Turning 30!

Hi All,
I just turned 30 years old and what did I do to celebrate it? I went zip lining out in Western Mass. I have never done it before and had a great time. I did 6 different lines ranging from 800 feet to 2600 feet. I was looking for some sort of addrenaline rush to help me forget about the age that i'm turning and the zip lining definitely provided it. I also enjoyed the hiking through the woods as we traveled from line to line. It was actually a pretty good workout. I'm starting to think that I might be an addrenaline junky, since i've always been a big fan of going fast. The zip lining just might be the start. Could there be some bungy jumping or jumping out of airplane in my future? It's possible. The point is there are many activities out there that don't require the boredom of running on a treadmill. There are lots of ways to get in a great workout and have fun at the same time. So pick an activity that you've never done before and give it a shot. Now it doesn't have to be an extreme sport, it can be something simple such as tennis, golf, hiking, or jumping rope. It can actually be fun to try and find diffent things to do each weekend. So enjoy the nice weather while it lasts! And find some fun ways to stay active!

In Good Health,
Russ

Vacation Season

We're in the middle of vacation season and it can be easy to loose site of you're goals and put back on the weight you've lost all in one week away from home. Most vacations include food that is available 24/7. I recently returned from a cruise to Bermuda and was able to make it through the week without packing on an unwanted lbs. And believe me it was a challenge. For those of you who have been on a cruise before you know what i'm talking about. They had 5 or 6 restaurants on the ship to go along with a buffet style cafeteria. And if that wasn't enought you could get room service anytime you wanted. Now the easiest way to combat this would be to just exhibit some will power, but where is the fun in that when you're on vacation. Below are 3 tips to maintaining what you've worked for while on vacation and enjoying yourself in the process.

1) Establish an post meal exercise routine-The worst thing you can do after indulging is to lay out on the beach or deck. This will just cause the calories you consumed to turn to fat. Use the calories as energy and go for a walk or job, or hit the gym for some weight training. Almost all cruise ships or resorts have them.
2) Try not to overeat during each meal. Have the food that you want, but try and eat it in smaller portions. If you do eat to much, do it in the morning or early afternoon. That way you have the rest of the day to burn off the extra calories.
3) Be as active as possible. Try and pack in as many activities as possible. This way you'll be burning calories and enjoying yourself at the same time. Site seeing, Snorkeling, swimming, dancing, etc. are a few activities to keep in mind.

So now you can enjoy your vacation without losing all the progress you've made.

Free Run Shoes

Free Run shoes.

If you like to run and you're looking for some new sneakers try the new barefoot technology out there. Barefoot originated the idea, but other companies have come out with there own version of the shoe. If you don't like the idea of sliding your toes into a shoe that looks like a foot, there are other options out there that provide a similar feel to the barefoot shoe. I just picked up a pair of the Nike Free runs. I've run with them a couple of times and am enjoying it. They're extremely light and very flexible.

Cheat Meals

Anybody who knows anything about dieting knows there is usually an option in there for a cheat meal. Sometimes its one day a week and others might include only one meal a week. This is something you want to be careful with. To ensure that you don't destroy all your progress from the week of clean eating be smart about your cheat meals. I'll use pizza as an example. If you choose to hit up your favorite pizza place to dine in or takeout make sure to control the portion that you consume. A couple of slices and a large portion of salad are perfect. If you decide you’re going to make your own pizza, go with wheat dough, low calorie sauce, low fat cheese, and some turkey pepperoni. You can have another slice or two without the added calories and fat. Enjoy!