Posted on January 02, 2012 by Jenny Cromack
1. Set Goals!
Set yourself a goal to achieve and a date to achieve it by and don’t let anything get in your way of getting there! Make sure you’re goals are realistic yet challenging……if something is easy to achieve your less likely to push yourself.
2. Want It!
To achieve your goals you have got to WANT to achieve them. Don’t just exercise because you think you should, ask yourself ‘Do I really want to achieve this goal?’, if the answer is yes then work hard to get to where you want to be!
3. Prioritise & Commit to It!
We know everyone is busy, but unless you make your workouts a priority you will never get the results you want. Schedule your workouts into your diary like you would an important meeting and don’t let anything interrupt you from doing it!
4. Interval Training
Forget pounding the treadmill for hours on end. Research shows that interval training is a more effective way of burning fat and boosts your metabolism for longer following a workout. Try this interval session…sprint for 60 seconds as fast as you can, walk or jog for 60 seconds. Repeat x 10. If you don’t enjoy running then do your intervals on a bike or rowing machine.
Include interval training in your workout 2-3 times per week.
5. Resistance Training
Don’t just focus on cardio exercise, to lose weight you need to increase your metabolism and you can do this by lifting weights. For every 1lb of lean muscle mass you gain you burn an extra 50 calories per day…..that’s an extra 18,250 calorie per year.
By performing resistance training 2-3 times per week, not only will you firm those muscles but this will also boost your metabolism following your workout to carry on burning energy at a higher rate than normal, even if you are just sat at your desk following a lunch time workout.
Focus on using compound exercises such as squats, lunges, press ups, seated rows as these will use more energy than performing isolation exercises such as bicep curls.
6. Circuit Training
Circuit training is a great way to workout. Put a mixture of 10 cardiovascular and resistance exercises together and depending on your fitness levels perform each exercise for 30-60 seconds, with as little rest as possible between each exercise. Repeat x 2-3. This is a sure fire way to blitz calories and fat during your workout and boost the metabolism afterwards.
7. Six Pack or Party Pack?!
Does your stomach more resemble a 6 pack of lager after sinking too many drinks this Christmas? If you want a flatter stomach then forget about doing hundreds of stomach crunches and focus on doing high intense cardio instead. To burn 1lb of fat you would need to perform 250,000 stomach crunches, and if your abdominals are covered by a layer of fat you will never see a toned tummy. Keep your abdominal workouts to 10 minutes and focus the rest of your energy on high intensity cardio!
8. Make a plan and stick to it!!
The valuable piece of advice we can give……make a plan and stick to it. You can’t ‘wing’ your training, it must be structured and progressive to really see those results. Use the advice in this article to put a programme together, if you’re unsure then seek the advice of professional. Hiring a personal trainer might seem costly following Christmas but you will definitely get the results you want to see.
9. Calories In versus Calories Out
The biggest mistake people make when they exercise is to undo all of the good work in the gym by overestimating how many calories they have burned in a session and underestimate how many calories are in their post-workout meals/snacks and then wonder why their weight isn’t coming down!
10. Lacking Motivation?
Find it hard to motivate yourself? Get your friends together and make a pact to workout on a regular basis. You can encourage each other when one of you is having an ‘off-day’ or give each other a forfeit for any missed sessions!
Hiring a personal trainer is a great way to keep your motivation high. A good personal trainer should make regular contact with you to see how your training sessions are going outside of your 1:1 session with them.
If you can’t afford 1:1 training then consider group personal training with friends, a great way to keep motivated and get the expertise of a trainer but split the cost!