Fitness Questions Answered

Here are some of my favorite fitness questions answered that you guys have asked about so I thought to put it in a post. If you have any additional questions let me know, trying to do more posts like this for you all!

How to not let the number on the scale get to you.

Having a scale in your house can be well, daunting to say the least. As a female we look at it dreading what number it is going to say when we step on it. While I am definitely guilty of this I have figured out a way to just not let the number get to me. What I do is ask myself what my habits have been this week. Have I been moving my body consistently, eating well and taking care of myself? If I answer yes for the most part then I smile and ignore it because I know my body is exactly where it is supposed to be. There are obviously ways that you can tip the scale higher or lower but to know you are happy with the steps you’ve made throughout the week makes a big difference.

What is more important – Doing cardio or weights?

I am definitely more of a weights person — I absolutely hate cardio, although I know it is a pretty essential part of staying fit. Although I’m not the best at it, I try to incorporate some kind of cardio into my routine as well as strength training. Paired together, cardio and resistance training can quickly change your body so it’s definitely good to do a combination routine. My trainer and I have definitely done weighted movements paired with some cardio and gone back and forth. If you’d rather not do it this way, you can find your 3 strength training days throughout the week and then on the other 2-3 days do cardio instead.

Why you feel like you’ve plateaued.

I kind of learned this the hard way with my trainer. I never understood before but he would always emphasize that it’s important to switch things up. We go from doing very focused heavy weights for a few weeks and then switch to more full body weeks with more conditioning to switch it up. I learned that when you do the same thing over and over, your body gets used to it and your metabolism makes adjustments. So, it’s important to shock your system by changing up the workouts that you are doing and adding different activities into your life.

Best tip for people having a hard time committing.

Exercise doesn’t need to be such an all or nothing commitment. If you haven’t exercised before or you’ve tried to exercise in the past and been unable to stick with it, it’s important not to set unrealistic goals. Start with something you like doing and feel comfortable doing. Go at your own pace and keep all your expectations realistic. For example, I know I like to indulge from time to time and I like to drink wine. Because of this, I’ll probably never have a crazy six pack, but I’m ok with it. I’m happy with the results I’ve gotten and have found a medium goal that works best for me and keeps me happy. I know that if I make a goal to get a six pack and I kill myself at the gym, I’m going to be unhappy and not want to continue. In my eyes, it’s most important to find what will keep you going and keep you happy while staying active.

What are some good workout options if you can’t afford a personal trainer?

I actually decided to budget out for a personal trainer because it’s really helped get me on track, however I know some people are curious of some other options. I would suggest joining a morning boot camp or try to get together with a friend for a scheduled workout date. The reason why a personal trainer works best for me is because I find that when you have someone waiting on you it’s much harder to hit the snooze button or skip your workout. Same would go if you had a friend who you have committed to working out together. Also, you can try classes which are available at your gym. Usually these are free with your membership and you can find a few classes that you really enjoy!