Exercise: Be Consistent

Create a consistent exercise routine.  Be realistic. Set small, achievable goals at first.  If you are new to exercise, plan to work out three times a week.  Then move to every other day.  As you progress you may build up to a 5-day weekly routine.

Have a specific plan before you start. You’ll want to build in a variety of workouts to keep things fresh (for example, strength one day, cardio the next) but the trick is planning ahead. Every Sunday night, map out your week of workouts and stick with it like it is a doctor’s prescription.  Your plan can be as simple as a walk on Monday, strength training on Wednesday at the gym, and push-ups on Friday. 

Find someone to keep you accountable.  This can be a workout buddy or a personal trainer.  Either way, pair up with someone who is inspiring and reliable.

Set goals and keep track of your progress.  Maybe your goal is to lose weight or run a 5K.  It can also be as simple as “exercise every other day for a month.”  Seeing progress will keep you motivated and consistent.

Find inspiration or distraction.  If exercise goals don’t engage you, pick a favorite diversion and build that into your exercise routine.  Listen to music, watch TV or read a magazine while you exercise.

Michael Kasprenski, Personal Trainer at Steel Fitness in Bethlehem, PA (a FACTS Fitness facililty)

The Secret To Lasting Fitness Success

With new year's just around the corner and resolutions in the air, people constantly ask me about what they should do to effectively lose weight and get in shape once and for all starting January. Most of the time, their question centers around what kind of foods are ok to eat, what exercises are best, what kind of cardio burns the most calories, and other similar questions. My reply, however, is often not what they are expecting:

The right plan is the one that you can stick to for the long term!

The truth about fitness and nutrition is that there is no special secret or magic recipe for success. There are tons of different ways of achieving a given goal and its likely that you could use multiple methods to reach the same outcome. However, the method that will give you the longest term results, guaranteed, is the one to which you adhere the longest!

So the take away point is pick plan that you can stick with! Fad diets might help you lose weight quickly but you cannot do them long term. The same is true with extreme exercise regimens. Pick something that fits your personality and that you like, and then do it relentlessly. That's the way success is made.

Written by: Yudi Kerbel, FACTS Fitness Personal Trainer