Are you lacking motivation in the gym? Finding it difficult to juggle fitness with a busy work/home/social life? Read on for some m2m fitness tips on how to squeeze fitness into your busy life:
- Time Management
Quality workouts can be just the thing you need when time is short. Interval training is the most effective way to burn body fat and boost your metabolism. Try 20 seconds of an exercise with a ten second rest for four minutes at a time. You could use bike sprints, rowing or running. Do this for eight rounds to really get your heart rate going!
- Travelling to/from work
Make a real commitment to move more during your working day. Go for a walk at lunch time, take the stairs rather than the lift, walk to the office at the other end of the corridor to deliver that message instead of phoning! Even better still, leave your travel card at home and try walking, jogging or cycling to work – you will even be saving money too!
- Top to Bottom Toning
Upper to Lower body circuits are a great way to achieve the body beautiful without going near a piece of CV equipment. Perform a circuit of at least six different exercises back to back, alternating between upper and lower body. This places greater demand on your cardio system while toning your muscles too.
- Food Matters
Don’t waste another penny on low-fat snacks such as cereal bars, which are often processed, packed with sugar and leave you feeling hungry for another one half an hour later! East more protein with meals, such as chicken or fish as this will keep you fuller for longer.
- Kettlebell Crazy
If you have never tried Kettlebell training – you must! Kettlebells are cheaper than a gym membership, last a lifetime and will completely transform the way that you train. A kettlebell provides resistance training, cardio and a core workout all in one! A 15 minute circuit is all it takes to target every muscle in the body and have you feeling great. Please see the link below for Brighton Kettlebells, I can personally recommend these guys as this is where I go for my training.
http://www.brightonkettlebells.co.uk/
- On the Go-Slow
Slowing down your reps is a great way to really get your body working much harder and to really get the most out of your workout. For example; when performing a squat (with or without weight), take four seconds to squat down to 90 degrees, pause for two seconds then return to standing. Perform 12-15 reps, rest for 30 seconds and then repeat. It might feel un-natural at first, but stick with it and you will see and feel the benefits.
- Work Multiple Muscle Groups
Try exercises such as press-ups, dead lifts and squats to target multiple muscle groups at the same time. These exercises require maximum effort from the body which means that you will be burning more calories in a shorter space of time, allowing you to be in and out of the gym in no time :0)
- Supersets – The Way Forward
Try including some different weight resistance training methods into your gym routine such as Supersets. This means that you perform two exercises back to back before resting and is a great way to save time and boost fitness levels. An example of a Superset is: squats and step-ups; perform 16 reps of each and then rest for 30 seconds and repeat three times. Just make sure the rest doesn’t go on any longer than 30 seconds!!
- Going Solo
By performing single-side movements you will provide an effective workout for your stomach without even having to do a single crunch – hooray you cheer! Try single leg squats, squats with dumbbells in one hand and single arm shoulder presses are great ways to train your core without you even realising it. This is because the core muscles have to work harder to compensate for the new weight imbalance – clever huh :0)
- Use your Body!
Never again will you be able to use the excuse that you have no gym equipment for weight resistance training. One of the most effective training tools you have is your own body weight and the best bit is, you can use it wherever you are and it is free! Examples are: burpees, press-ups, jump squats, lunges and the plank. Try 20 of these moves back to back and see how effective using your own body weight can be.
Now you really don’t have an excuse not to get started on these straight away to kick start your training and fit it in around your busy life.
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