How to Get Organized for a Fitness Lifestyle Upgrade!

First of all, you might be asking yourself, "What is a Fitness Lifestyle Upgrade?"...

Many people say they want to get fit, get healthier, eat better, stop smoking, lose weight, etc, etc, etc...

As I've told many of my students, everything we say we want is just a good idea, until we make it a goal, complete with an action plan. Use the SMART acronym to guide your action plan, when you're serious about making goals that you intend to achieve:

S - Specific
M - Measurable
A - Attainable
R - Realistic
T - Time Sensitive

So a Fitness Lifestyle Upgrade is what happens when you decide to take your health and wellness "good idea" and make it into a goal...

Specific: I will run the Sun Run on May 9, 2010
Measurable: I will follow the Training 16 workout program (for the next 16 weeks)
Attainable: I will check in with my doctor, and confirm that I am healthy enough to undertake this physical challenge
Realistic: I have looked at my schedule for the next 16 weeks, and I can and will devote up to one hour per day on improving my fitness level
Time Sensitive: I have plotted the 16 weeks on my calendar (up to May 9th)

Once we have set the goal, we have to Get Organized to support this Fitness Lifestyle Upgrade...this is the planning stage and here's what you have to think about and prepare:

* If the workout plan suggests 3 workouts of 40 minutes this week, which days can I do this? Post the three days on your weekly calendar.

* Do I have my equipment all ready (laundered, laid out)? Runners, socks, workout clothes (different options available for different types of weather, or different times of day), hair elastic, baseball cap, headphones and music, vest/jacket with many zippers, tissue, house key, gloves.

* Decide exactly what time of day works for your schedule and plan it. For example:

Morning workout: set your alarm...do you need 30 minutes to wake up and get dressed? 60 minutes? Go to bed on time the night before! Do you need 6 hours to feel fully rested? 8 hours? Always drink a glass of water as soon as you wake up.

After work workout: Can you walk in the door and get to your workout, without distractions from your family, TV, or the computer? Or should you workout straight from work?

Evening workout: Can you eat a light dinner and conserve your energy, so you can be assured of getting out of the house, before you head for your bed?

This is how you get organized for a Fitness Lifestyle Upgrade. It's no longer just a good idea to make improvements. You are TAKING ACTION by getting prepared, and setting up a system that will work for you. Then you simply take the steps!

This is how you make sure that there are NO EXCUSES and that..what you say...is what you do!

Happy Upgrade!

Week One of Sixteen...Training to a 10K

1. Always have medical clearance from your Health Practitioner before embarking on a new fitness regimen.
2. Get the right running shoes for your foot type; this is crucial for comfort and injury prevention. Visit a running store to get expert advice on buying the right running shoe.
3. Before you start your workout, always warm up properly...walk for 5-10 minutes at a brisk pace. You should always end your workout with a cool down, and a full body stretch routine.

Week 1 of 16

Walk for 6 minutes, then jog at an easy pace for 1 minute. Repeat three times. Your workout should take approximately 40 minutes, including warm up and cool down.

Aim for three sessions, with this sequence, during Week One.

For me it works best to decide, at the beginning of the week, which days I am going to work out. I create a workbook to keep track of my activity for the entire 16 weeks.

Tip: It is always best to do your three workout days, with an alternating rest day in between each. For example, Mon Wed Fri... or Tue Thur Sat...

Tip: What you eat is equally important for your success. Increase your choices of fresh, raw, live foods. Reduce your reliance on food in bags, bottles, boxes, or cans.

Happy Training!

Canadians On An Unhealthy Path

Canadians are rapidly catching up to our unhealthy neighbors South of the border.

According to the results of a recent study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), 19% of males and 21% of females (aged 20 - 39) in Canada are now classified as obese. This compares to our U.S. counterparts, with 34% of adults considered obese.

Back in 1981 when the research study began, Canadians were rather complacent about the direction of their health. What could have contributed to this physical weakening of the general population over the last 30 years?

Mark Tremblay, the project's lead researcher from the Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario in Ottawa, has isolated some factors that may have contributed to our declining fitness levels:

* Increased screen time in front of TVs and computers at home and work,

* Our increased dependance on cars,

* The increased availability of convenience (processed and fast) foods, and

* Deterioration in the quality and quantity of physical education.

The fantastic thing about health is that the results are often a case of simple math...we are the sum total of what we eat, and what we do...x + y = z...

Eg. What We Eat + What We Do = Physical/Emotional Outcomes

Thus any desired change has a simple (not easy) solution...change one or more of the factors, and end up with a different result.

So based on Mr. Tremblay's factors, we must do the opposite.

* Spend less time in front of the computer and TV,

* Use other means of transportation sometimes, so that your body will have to move,

* Increase your consumption of real live raw foods (have I said this enough?), that is not in boxes, bags, packets, and cans...hmmm...could she mean vegetables and fruit?, and

* Increase your physical activity...get up a little earlier, put on the music, and crack a sweat before you get in the shower.

Don't make changes, just because it's the New Year...make life resolutions...getting older does not necessarily mean getting fatter and sicker. Resolve to do everything you can to be at your healthiest, regardless of the biological clock.

Implement change, starting today...remember, things can get better with age!