Motivation

Taking care of yourself is no merely a matter of good health, it’s a measure of spiritual evolution.

                        – Neale Donald Walsch

Workout Routine: Motivation

One of the key elements to manifesting your workout goals is motivation. Goals such as weight loss/management can take several months to a year to bring achieve.

Workout routines can become boring for both the mind and body. So what can you do to stay motivated?

1) Change your routine – so it’s not so routine by doing different types of exercises such as cardio and weight training one day, yoga one day, swimming one day, or whatever you enjoy doing. Just find a couple of different types of exercises that keep the workout fresh.

2) Gym challenges – many gyms offer different challenges each month. In December my gym offered a free month’s membership to the person who attended the most number of days during the month. I won! By taking on this challenge I increased my workouts from 5 days a week to 7 days.

During February one of our gyms challenges is to track the number of laps walked or ran. There is a big chart on the wall with the running totals. Although I’m not in the lead I increased my laps from 15 per workout to 40. This change has helped me drop 2 additional pounds in the past 9 days.

3) Workout with friends – it’s a great way to socialize and keep each other on track with your fitness goals.

4) Take a class – group classes are a great way to stay motivated. You feel part of something. It’s something fun to do with friends or to meet new friends.

Find whatever you need to do to keep your motivation going and achieve your workout goals!

Who knows, you may be featured in the next synchronized spinning class. Even if you don’t… at least you’ll get a giggle out of this!

Counting Calories

It takes me 30 minutes on a stationary bike or 35 minutes on an elliptical to burn 200 calories. Tracking my calories burned during my exercise routine has helped me make better decisions when it comes choosing what I eat. If I have to burn the calories then I’m more selective about what I’m eating.

Putting the caloric intake into perspective with an exercise routine helps one make better decisions when it comes to choosing foods we eat.

For example if I eat:
Starbuck muffin – 420 calories (56 biking minutes for me)
Sbarro stuffed pizza – 976 calories (130 biking minutes for me)
P.F. Chang’s orange chicken – 1150 calories (153 biking minutes for me)

From these three meals the total daily caloric intake is 2,546 calories.

What to eat instead:
1 egg + 2 egg whites, 2 slices light bread, 1 veggie sausage patty (300 calories)
3 oz deli style turkey, 2 slices light bread, 1 cup tomato soup (350 calories)
4 oz grilled chicken, 1/2 cup brown rice, 1.5 cups veggies, 1/4 cup Thai sauce (450 calories)

From these three meals the total daily caloric intake is 1,100 calories. That’s a difference of 1,446 calories in a day!

Wow! What a difference it makes to know what you’re putting into your body! How often do you pop something into your mouth not even realizing how many calories are in it?

Being aware of what I eat and what I’m burning during exercise helps me manage the weight management process better. If you’re interested in managing your weight, begin tracking everything you’re eating so you can see what your caloric intake is, then you’ll be able to adjust your food selections so you’re managing your calories.