Here’s some easily followed tips to help you stay focused, stay engaged and meet your weight and muscle goals!

1) Keep an exercise log

Keeping a log of your training sessions, every exercise you performed along with reps, sets and how much weight you lifted for how long, you keep a log of your progress. It’s also a good idea to document how you felt before and after your session along with any nutrional supplements taken before or afterward.

In doing so you are able to go back to see your improvements and a wealth of information, you can even find what was working and what was not working for you and improve your exercise routine.

2) Rest!

Your muscles don’t grow while you’re exercising, in fact they grow when you’re resting after your sessions. So take time after each strenuous exercise period in our 24/7 hour gym, from our Fitness on Request program and trainers, to rest, relax and allow your body to reap the most benefit.

If you don’t, you will see slower progress in your development and your efforts will work against you by taking longer than it can if done correctly. So take a rest, don’t over exercise yourself and relax!

3) Life is about variety, so isn’t exercise.

Your life thrives on variety, you wouldn’t eat the same foods over and over, day in and day out every meal of the day would you? Your muscles are like your stomach and tastes, they thrive on variety so spice things up, do different sets, reps and routines in your weekly routine.

Don’t be afraid to try new things, afterall with your log, you will know what’s working for you and what isn’t and you can keep things exciting for your muscles for maximum benefit.

4) Don’t overwork yourself!

Remember, rest is important, make sure you take a break between workouts and sets so you can recover your muscles and do better in the next workout and set.

You don’t gain any more muscle overworking them than you do by resting between sets, reps and workouts but it does take you much longer to see the benefit if you do overwork yourself.

An example, on Monday you worked your upper-body, on Tuesday focus on your legs and lower-body and Wednesday, focus on your arms and back. If after two days, your are ‘sore’ from an exercise, give it another day and rest those muscles (eg. your legs) and remember, it’s okay to take a day from exercise to recover.

5) Don’t starve your body

You need energy to exercise, 30 minutes before you start your session, take the time to eat a pre-workout meal with carbs and lean proteins. You will burn it off in the workout if done correctly and your body will thank you by working harder, longer and giving you more benefit in the end.

You should also eat a simple sugar based meal after your session to restore your energy levels, namely your insulin and glycogen levels to feed your muscles. You should preferably use a meal replacement drink which are based on dextrose or maltodextrin as simple sugars for your post-workout replenishment.

Check the video!

This is great for those who work first or second shift or can only make it to our gym at three in the morning or, just for you self-starters out there.

Come in, try it out and tell us what you think!

Dress in layers

You should dress in layers that you can remove and add throughout your exercise routine such as a power walk or jog as you get too hot or start to get cold. You should wear a synthetic undershirt which pulls sweat away from your body as you grow warm such as a polypropylene shirt and add a layer of fleece or wool for insulation atop that such as a sweatshirt. Next, wear a waterproof but breathable jacket with a zipper, a heavy jacket will cause you to potentially overheat yourself during your outdoor exercise.

Protect your extremities

Blood flow concentrates itself on the core of your body when you are cold, thus you must pay special attention to the exposed portions of your skin such as your hands, your feet and your ears. Most recommended is double layering in for your hands, a pair of thin mittens inside of a pair of fleece or wool mittens for your hands, two pairs of socks and a pair of warm ear muffs and a wool knit hat and scarf for your neck.

This will help you greatly when your jogging along in the cold to keep your exposed skin warm and prevent frostbite.

Mind the weather

Exercising while it is precipitating out can make you and your body more vulnerable to the cold, try to avoid exercise outdoors if it is below freezing (0F or -17.8C) or the wind chill in your area makes it ‘feel’ that way. Consider exercising indoors, perhaps at your local Anytime Fitness in Lima, Ohio or even in your own home if road conditions are hazardous due to the weather.

For instance, you can move your furniture around like you have been intending to do, clean the whole house top-to-bottom or even simply play a rousing game of Wii Fit, an excellent way to help you stay in shape through video games.

Against the wind

When starting out run against the wind to help keep your temperature in check as your body temperature increases from your workout. On the second half of your workout, head with your back to the wind, by the time you’re doing this a cold breeze from behind will be most welcome and your body temperature will be maintained more consistently.

Summary

With the above tips in mind you should always know when you should stop and when you need to drink, just as in warm weather your body needs to stay hydrated so drink water or sports drinks before, during and after your workout, even if you’re not really thirsty.

If you ever feel numbness in your cheeks, nose, ears, hands or feet, loss of feeling or a stinging sensation, stop exercising right away and get indoors. These are the early signs of frostbite and can damage your skin permanently, do not rub the affected area, just stop and get indoors as soon as possible.

” I joined the gym in January and started on the treadmill and some weight lifting. I gained 6 pounds, so I stopped weight lifting and start a diet in April and walking on the treadmill for 45 mins at least 4 times a week, dropped 3 pounds. Why is it not coming off faster. I’ve changed my diet and my intake of calories has been cut way down. I’m trying to lose about 15 pounds and firm my tummy. Please give help!”

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Just wanted to elaborate on the reasons people often gain weight (at least initially) when they start an exercise program. The following is from an article that I recently wrote:

When a sedentary or somewhat inactive individual starts an exercise program, several changes occur in the body to respond to this new exercise stimulus. The sum of these changes can add a bit to the scale, despite your hopes for the exact opposite. First of all, the muscles can increase in size, and the added protein in the muscle actually stores additional water. The body will also start to store more sugar in the muscles, and again, water storage plays a role here as well. Several enzymes that process oxygen will also increase in quantity within the muscle cells. And if this isn’t enough, your connective tissues will toughen and thicken, and your total blood volume can increase by up to one pound within a week. All of this better prepares your body for more frequent exercise bouts, and helps to improve your workout efficiency. At this point, you’re probably wondering what can be done to mitigate these effects? The answer is not much. The key is to be consistent with your workouts, and avoid the scale if you’re likely to get discouraged by what you see. It’s important to remember that this is simply your body adapting to exercise. Believe me, your weight will trend down in the long run as you continue your program. Don’t forget the old adage—good things come to those who wait!

Let all of us know if you need any additional information. And don’t stop strength training. It’s an important part of a well-rounded program. Try doing some cardiovascular strength training (circuits with no rest), and throw some interval cardio into your steady-state workouts. Keep that body guessing as to what’s coming next!!

Brian Zehetner

See the full dialogue, and all 10 of the answers provided at the Anytime Health site.