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Health & Fitness

Get Out of Your Comfort Zone!

Expand your exercise program with these three recommendations.

When it comes to exercise, too many women stay in their comfort zone.  To develop muscle, you have to consider three factors.   

1)  CHALLENGE- your body.  You must do more than your body is used to doing. Get outside of your comfort zone.  If it feels too easy, it is.

How can you challenge your body?  One way is to add circuit training into your exercise program. Circuit training is an excellent way to simultaneously improve mobility, strength, and stamina.  There is no rest period within a single circuit, but completed circuits should be separated by a rest period of 30-60 seconds. For even more of a challenge and calorie burning, add in a 60 seconds cardio burst such as jumping jacks, jump rope, or a run on the treadmill.

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2)  CONFUSION- Your body adapts very quickly to what you are doing.  You must create muscle confusion by changing things up every 3-4 weeks which will keep your muscles guessing. 

How can you create muscle confusion?  Change the reps, change the weights, change the type of exercises you are doing.  

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The same goes for your cardio sessions:

Cardio Considerations:

  • Cross train: Walk, bike, jog, swim
  • Intensity – Change it up just like with strength training by adding high intensity intervals for 30 minutes or less or adding a incline on the treadmill for a harder longer walk
  • Frequency- Depending on goals, 4 to 5 days per week

3)  CONSISTENCY- Just do it!  You must exercise on a regular basis to lose weight, tone up and keep the weight off.  Don't kid yourself, every now and then will get you nothing.  A goal should be 3-4 times per week.  Your body will not change if you are not consistent with your workouts.   We start to lose muscle after about two weeks of inactivity.  Remember, muscle burns fat so we don't want to lose muscle.  Put it on the calendar because you are worth it!

 

Print this check list to help with specific changes that can increase muscle:

  • Overload/intensity:  challenge muscles with heavier weights (work up slowly) 
  • Stand or use stability ball to use more muscles (compound exercises)
  • Save time by working more than muscle group at a time i.e.  Squat- press
  • If using machines at the gym, add upper body free weights to save time
  • Proper form to prevent injury
  • If limited time:  chose 3 exercises and do each one 3 to 4 times which is better than touching each muscle 1 time.  It's important to exhaust the muscle to see growth
  • Frequency (3-4 times per week depending on goals and fitness level)
  • Muscle confusion (change workout every 3-4 weeks)

Reminder:  You can’t spot reduce with exercise.  Abdominal exercises such as crunches won't make your stomach smaller.  In fact, it could make it bigger if you aren't losing the fat on top of the new muscle. Add cardio, strength training and a balanced diet you will see the changes you are after

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