4fitbodies.com

During the holidays, I see people every day here in Douglasville and at the gym who are trying to squeeze too much into one day.

But I have to ask you to HONESTLY answer if the 45 minutes to an hour of working out is something that you don’t “have time for”. Do you REALLY not have an hour a day? So you have dropped out all those activities like TV watching that don’t really add to your life.

So now that you have got honest with yourself, you need to find a time-saving way to knock out that workout.

So rather than try you usual workout, fitness class or group fitness activity, it may time for something quick to get yourself in and out of the gym. So here is my suggestion. Expedite things by focusing on YOU. So group fitness may not be the best use of your time if you don’t get an awesome workout from it. Classes like Ride or spinning are great cardio workouts and you are done quickly so if that still fits with your time allowance, DO IT. If the timing of the fitness class does not, then get on the treadmill and punch it out QUICK. Then you can get some serious weights done quickly too. Best way to get the strength training done, is to drop your rest periods and alternate between upper and lower body or do whole body moves (for example squats with a military press)

Tags: Douglasville, Fitness, fitness classes, group fitness, Sports Fitness by David Hansey, Personal Trainer
Comments Off

One thing I try to stress to anyone starting a new fitness routine is to find something that you like to do for your cardio. Do you enjoy the outdoors, then running the trails at some of Douglasville’s parks might be ideal. Do you hate cold weather, the rain, getting your shoes dirty, etc – then outdoor running is not for you. See where I am going here? Pick an activity that FITS YOU and your life rather than trying to force yourself to do something that you are not fond of.

Now — you actually have to DO IT. So be sure to pick something that time wise fits your lifestyle. Do you like to do things with other people? Then perhaps fitness classes. Although be wary of fitness classes whose schedules do not fit yours. You have to GO to be successful so if the fitness classes are at times that do not fit your schedule or that require a lot of rescheduling of the rest of your life, then that might not be for you.

Ok — now something that works for your fitness level. While personal training will be UNIQUE to you and is the ideal, some people cannot afford it. So if you decide to do a fitness class, pick one that meets all the scheduling criteria but ALSO is one that you can go at your own pace. The class at the Douglasville Gym where I work that I recommend most is Ride, it is a spinning type class on bikes. Great workout and great for beginners because you go at your own pace.

So remember these 3 things to make fitness a HABIT and a great change to your health
- FUN (you love it)
- FITS (into your schedule)
- FOR YOU (right for your fitness level and unique needs)

Remember to check out my great diet site for free yummy (and printable) recipes as well as a new feature showing you how to eat better http://www.douglasvilleweightloss.com/blog

Tags: Douglasville, fitness classes, Sports Fitness, Weight Loss by David Hansey, Personal Trainer
Comments Off

Deciding that you want to change your body is a decision that can be difficult for many people. I mean for some of us, life just flies by so this is a major step that you have found the willpower to commit to having a healthier life. So once you have made the decision and committed to doing the work required, what next?

Well, that is a hard question. But there is a simple approach as well as a few tricks to keep you going.

Here is the approach:
- Forget fitness classes — WHAT? you say! Yes, for now to get started forget fitness classes. I have worked at a gym here in Douglasville for several years and I watch the ranks in fitness classes swell at the beginning of the year and then fall away by Valentine’s Day. Why? Well some people just lose interest and motivation but for a large number of people it is that fitness classes have schedules and trying to fit a fixed schedule into your fluid life is hard.

- Go to the gym every day that you work. So if you work Monday through Friday, then you go to the gym Monday through Friday. Oh, don’t freak out. Just do this for the first 30 days. You need to make this a habit and going every day gets you out of the head game of this day or that day and it buffers you from having things come up the prevent you from having things come up that take you off track. If traffic is bad or one of your children is ill, guess what, you only missed the one day out of 5.

- Get on your favorite cardio machine and do 30 minutes every time you come to the gym. I don’t care how fast you go at first. Personally I prefer clients to choose a treadmill over anything else because it keeps cheating to a minimum and keeps you honest. Since you are a beginner, the point is for you to show up and get working. Not to make you so smoked and so tired that you can’t walk, work and want to quit.

- You need to strength train. For the first month, you should plan on strength training twice a week. This can be increased to three times but two is enough for most beginners for the first month. Not sure what you should be doing? Well this is not the time to flop around or watch other people. This is the time for professional advice. Seek out a Board Certified Personal Trainer (click here to read about what a Board Certified trainer is because not all trainers are certified and even a smaller amount are board certified.) I can’t say how important it is to ensure you get someone qualified to handle you and any unique conditions you may have. This is important for everyone and critical for anyone with a chronic condition (people with diabetes, heart conditions, hypertension as well as many other conditions require special adjustments to their routine)

Ready to get started?? Awesome — then there is just ONE MORE STEP that you do before any of the above.
- Visit your doctor. He is the professional on your health so go. Don’t find excuses not to go, just go. Your doctor will probably kiss you for starting a routine but he will also tell you any things that are important for you — You are unique and only your doctor knows what you need to watch out for.

Look for more details next time on how to stay motivated.

Check my personal training blog for some great ideas on how to clear out your cupboard of all those foods that are not helping your weight loss pursuits. Click here to go to the Personal Training Blog

Tags: Douglasville, Fitness, fitness classes, Personal Training, Sports Fitness, Weight Loss by David Hansey, Personal Trainer
Comments Off

Strength training is a critical addition to your fitness routine and truly the only way to maintain a healthy body, a trim body and live longer. OH WHY? you ask. Well, strength training creates muscle which looks better and burns calories even when you are sleeping. So, that is the best way to get a healthy trim body.

Strength training with heavy weights builds bone mass (unlike classes with light weights that you lift 100 times) and since our bodies are designed to naturally lose bone mass as we age and since having low bone mass can lead to terrible slip and fall injuries, it makes sense to do everything you can to keep the maximum amount of bone mass. This means a healthy training regimen that MUST include strength training.

And last, but certainly not least, why does strength training help you live longer? Pretty simple really. Better bone mass means less chance of injuries such as broken hips. Better calorie burning means less chance of being obese and all the diseases related to obesity. And as any doctor would love to tell you, working out helps control chronic diseases like high blood pressure, diabetes and helps prevent heart disease. These are not rare diseases. They kill millions of people a year so yes, you should be concerned.

So if you are not strength training as part of your workout routine, or are not training with heavy weights or just don’t even know where to start, give me a call. A few well planned personal training sessions can set you on your way to a healthier lifestyle that will keep you fit and active for a lifetime.

Tags: Fitness, fitness classes, Personal Training, Sports Fitness by David Hansey, Personal Trainer
Comments Off

With all things, there are people who get what they want and people who don’t. But unlike many things in life, fitness is something that you can achieve and it comes down to one thing…. how bad do you want it?

Sorry to say but getting fit requires a lot of hard work and then the commitment to keep going. Sometimes people try to make their life too complicated by mixing two schedules together. Like mixing your schedule with a fitness class schedule. And often what happens is that you end up dropping out and doing nothing because it is just too much scheduling. For those people I always suggest personal training. Either as an ongoing thing or as a primer to get into (or back into) fitness.

Personal training fits with your schedule. And it shows you a routine that you can come to the gym and do anytime it works for you!!

I find that when people commit to a few hours a week of working out, their whole lifestyle changes and they begin their way to a new healthier, less stressed life. But you actually have to start to make it work!

So if you are having a few false starts — like you have tried to come to the gym as a new years resolution year after year and never do. Or you “decide” you will try one of the fitness classes and never actually show up. Or you decide to “eat better” and never change what is in your cupboard.

So here is a NEW FITNESS PLAN — and IT WORKS!!

Book 5 hours of personal training. You can split it into either half hours or hours. So I would suggest you come for 1/2 hours and get the biggest bang for your fitness buck. Here is how you work them….

Week 1 — Come 3 times a week, doing 1/2 hour of cardio before each personal training session. Do this on a week that you don’t have to travel or do some special project at work. And make this your TOP PRIORITY!!

Week 2 — Come 3 times this week, again doing 1/2 hour of cardio before each session. You will notice that you feel better this week!

Week 3 – Come 2 times this week to personal training and come one time on your own, concentrating on learning the tempo of each move. Again, you will do the cardio before your session and if your cardio is too easy, you can start to up the time this week.

Week 4 – Come 2 times this week and one to two times on your own. 30 days sets in a habit so it should be getting easier to “find the time” for this. Also it should be getting easier and you should feel better.

Week 5 – Come 3-4 times this week on your own. If you have trouble making ANY of those sessions or are confused about your workout in any way, you need to get with your trainer and find a path forward. Crossing the one month threshold makes it a habit but you may still slack off and the key is to knowing how you react.

I have some personal training clients who train for this period and go off on their own and I see them often in the gym working out on their own with their new healthy bodies. I have other clients who drop completely off and start to slide back into their bad habits. Then I have others who know themselves and they find a way to make it work for themselves. Some choose to invest and continue with personal training. Others do a personal training session once a week or even once a month. The KEY is to know your body and yourself and make it work for you!!

So let’s get serious and find a way to make it work!!

Tags: Fitness, fitness classes, Motivation, Personal Training, Sports Fitness by David Hansey, Personal Trainer
Comments Off