Dr. Barbara Downes – Getting on the Training Train

Dr. Barbara Downes

Want to train but not sure how to start? A little knowledge and the right attitude will make it easier to keep on track. It becomes fun as you start not only to manifest the body of your dreams, but to feel better and better!

I advise a trainer for several reasons. One is that you have someone who can take measure of your expectations and schedule your program for meeting those goals. A good trainer will listen to your needs and help you get expectations in line with reality. Nothing is more discouraging than having unrealistic expectations, not meeting them and feeling like we failed. Many jump off the train at that point and miss the healthy life that consistent, evolving and challenging workouts can bring. The other is that they will keep you true to a schedule and help measure your results. A big brother/sister system is good for keeping honest, safe, challenged and motivated!

If you don’t choose to have a trainer, there are a few things you can do to keep your sessions productive. One is to shake up the routine a bit. Even the best of workouts will have results that plateau over time if the muscles get too accustomed to doing the same old thing. Change of pace, machines, order of exercises, intensity, alternating muscle group focus, and taking different group classes can keep the journey interesting and really spark our flesh into healthy transformation. And don’t forget to take a day off once in a while and just let it all mend and heal. It is good for mind and body!

Make a time commitment to your body. Three cardio workouts a week is a minimum. As you get stronger, add some more days and some more time. Take it slow and get there without injury. Improvements come after your workouts become a habit and often are insidious. One day you realize your jeans feel too loose. On this day, celebrate with a run around a lake, not a blueberry muffin!

An often overlooked part of fitness is FUN. Make your fun your fitness too. Break up the routine with activities that really work your muscles outside the gym. Go dancing, biking, bowling, skating, hiking–something you love. Just make sure it is not too leisurely if you are going to count it in your fitness log as time on the project of training. If you are trying to lose weight, work up to at least 300 minutes a week on your training log and keep it there!

Realize too, that your energy levels may change from day to day. That is normal, just keep moving! There may be weeks at a time where it feels like spinning wheels and no tread. It takes 5-6 weeks of steady training to see a real change in the mirror. Knowing that, you may stay with it through that initial stage where the inner wheels are starting to turn. The scale is deceptive, so try to stay away from it. For instance, muscle weighs more than fat, and dehydration is really dangerous but looks good on the scale.

I prefer measures of fitness things like the ability to climb a flight of stairs and not feel exhausted, or waking up refreshed in the morning, or having an increase of energy at the end of the day. Attitudes always get better with good training, so your friends and family will notice that before you, so let that be good feedback that your workouts are working!

Personal fitness can be life- enhancing for your mental and physical health. Just get on the train and never sit down on the track! You have all of Brick Bodies staff with you now. You have the very best to help you to be yours!