Crossroads Fitness Blog
Change up your fitness routine
Variety is the spice of life.
There is some truth to that statement. You get into your daily routines of schedules and can do many tasks without thinking too much about them. You may eat at the same time, go to work at the same time and take out the garbage on pick-up day.
Routines can be a good thing in many situations.
Think about your fitness routine. Are you doing the same exercise, going to the same class, walking on the same treadmill or lifting the same weight for every workout?
Maybe it’s time to change up that routine.
In the area of fitness, adding a little spice just may help the boring become more exciting and motivating. Sometimes you may hear the words “change” or “different” and associate them with “new” and “uncomfortable.” Being creatures of habit, it’s OK to like your comfort zone of being familiar with surroundings, people and activities.
Although doing exactly the same thing over and over may be comforting, it does have drawbacks. Without variety, things can get pretty boring. When talking about fitness routines, it’s important to spice it up a bit. Let me introduce you to cross-training.
Cross-training is simply combining two or more types of physical activities and is one way to create that change that you may be lacking. There are numerous benefits to adding cross-training to your fitness routine.
First and foremost is the motivation piece. Keeping interested Quick read more or view full article and motivated to exercise is an important piece. If you don’t enjoy it, you won’t do it. Cross-training can help you burn more calories by exercising regularly and using different muscle groups. You reduce your chance of injury by doing a variety of exercises.
For example, performing a high-impact sport like running one day, followed by a yoga or Pilates class the next day.
It’s simple to create a variety-filled exercise program. For you to be successful, plan a complete workout that includes the three areas of physical activity: cardiovascular; strength; and flexibility. Under each area, write down what activities you like to do or would like to try. Some activities fit under more than one area.
For example, cardio can include running, jumping rope, walking the dog or riding a bike. Strength can include pushups, lifting weights or yard work. Flexibility can include stretching or attending a yoga class.
Changing a fitness routine can be beneficial in more than just eliminating boredom. It actually can help your fitness level. Our bodies are adaptive and get used to an exercise. It becomes difficult to make changes in our bodies once it has adapted to a specific fitness routine.
Because of this adaptive nature, it’s important to keep our bodies guessing and mixing up the exercises we perform.
How do we go about changing up our workouts? Try something new. Often times we get our minds set into what we think we can do and what we really could do if we try.
If there is a favorite exercise machine you use often and don’t want to give up, try changing the intensity, speed and/or grade. By gradually changing how hard you work, you will keep your workout challenging and not routine.
Remember, when changing up your workout routine, don’t hesitate to ask for help.
Once you choose your activities, plan them into your week. Allow for variety and flexibility. Experiment with different activities to find out what really interests you.
Continue to enjoy your favorite activities, but challenge yourself to try something new. Spice it up!
Read LessResolve to set goals, then be SMART about it
January 1st of EVERY year becomes that day when we write down our list of items that proclaim this will be the year that we change our lives for the better. Items may include weight loss, stopping a bad habit or saving money.
Will your list look like last year’s list? For most of us, it is very similar. So, why are New Year’s resolutions unsuccessful? Simply put, it’s because there isn’t a plan to follow.
This year don’t call it a New Year’s resolution list. Let’s call your list – GOALS.
The reason why I encourage the change is this: Goals work.Goals mean action. Goals mean there is a plan.
Most of us make a list for the grocery store or errands that need to be run or create an agenda for a meeting. These all have one thing in common: something that needs to be done and how we intend to do it.
Whether you realize it or not, you are setting mini goals each day, regardless of whether they are on paper or a mental list in your mind.
When you begin to write your new goal list for 2025, begin with asking yourself some basic questions as to why you want to do this and how it will change your life if you achieve it.
The second step is to prioritize the items according to what is most important to Quick read more or view full article you. Having a goal list of only a few items that you are serious about will make it easier to devote the time and attention needed to make you successful.
Take one item at a time. The next step is learn to take that item and turn it into a goal. Try using the SMART system when writing your goal.
For example, you may have written down that your number one goal is to lose weight.
Beginning with S, make your goal specific.
The M stands for measurable. You have to be able to measure your progress.
The A stands for attainable. Put your goals into smaller mini goals. Refer to the joke: “How do you eat an elephant? You eat it one bite at a time.”
The R stands for reasonable. This is where many people create unrealistic goals. Create a goal that you can actually see yourself completing.
The T stands for timely. Goals take time to achieve. You need to know how much time you are willing to give to achieve your goal. Most importantly, give yourself a timeline of when you want to achieve it.
Another important piece to being successful with your New Year’s goal list is to be accountable. Decide each week (ahead of time) what you plan to do, then hold yourself accountable.
For instance, take two group exercises classes, attend a strength training class or exercise with a buddy. Tell someone who is close to you about your plan. Ask for their help in keeping you on track.
Setting goals that follow the SMART plan and holding yourself accountable will lead to success.
Planning and commitment are what makes the difference between achieving the goals you want to achieve to enhance your life or waiting until the next January and putting the same items back on your list.
Challenge yourself to write goals this year, not resolutions.
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Yoga helps to strike a balance with calm and positivity
Yoga is all about learning to balance life with calmness and positive thinking. Yoga, which means to join the body and mind, dates back more than 5,000 years and combines breathing, exercise and meditation.
Breathing techniques are taught on the concept breathing is the source of life in your body. Exercises apply pressure on glandular systems and promote health and well-being. By meditating, participants learn to quiet their minds and heal from the stresses of life.
There are more than 100 different schools of yoga. The most common type is Hatha yoga. This is an easy-to-learn form that combines physical movements and postures with breathing techniques.
Bikram yoga focuses on muscular strength and endurance, cardiovascular flexibility and weight loss. This type of yoga is performed in a 95-degree to 105-degree environment. This promotes flexibility, detoxification and prevention of injuries
Power yoga combines stretching, strength training and meditative breathing. Many of the poses resemble such basic calisthenics as pushups, handstands and side bends. The pace of this type of yoga is much faster. Each move flows into the next without pausing.
Although there are many more forms of yoga, these examples give you an idea of what’s available. Many instructors incorporate different forms into one class.
Most adults can practice yoga. Some advanced classes aren’t suitable for pregnant women or people with physical limitations from injuries. Always Quick read more or view full article consult with your doctor before engaging in an exercise program.However, special classes incorporate yoga into workouts with modifications. Don’t hesitate to ask questions. Always listen to your body.
When taking your first yoga class, expect to enter a dim room with soft music playing. Wear comfortable clothing. Most people are barefoot. You’ll have a mat and such props as bands, blocks and blankets. Your instructor will tell you how and when to use these.
At the end of each yoga class, most teachers bring their hands together in front of the heart, bow their head and say “namaste.” Students bring their hands together and respond. Namaste means “I bow to you.”
Yoga offers numerous benefits, including improved breathing, flexibility and posture. Some people might believe they’re too old or unfit for yoga. In truth, you’re never too old to improve flexibility. Yoga stretches not only your muscles, but also the soft tissues of your body, including ligaments and tendons. Nearly all poses build strength in the abdominal muscles. With improved core strength comes better posture. You’ll become more aware of your posture in daily activities.
Most forms of yoga concentrate on breathing. Deepening or lengthening your breath stimulates relaxation. In addition, yoga improves concentration and mood.
If you’re already a yogi, you understand. If you’re not, try yoga and see if you experience the amazing benefits you can attain from this form of exercise. Namaste.
Read LessFunctional fitness exercises good training for life
Think of the movements you go through every day: getting into and out of your car, reaching for an item on the top shelf at the grocery store or bending down to pick up a child.
Most of the time, we don’t think about these movements — until, that is, we can’t do them with ease.
This is where functional fitness exercises help by training your muscles to handle everyday activities efficiently and safely. Functional fitness has become popular in training regimens. Personal trainers include this type of training in their client workouts. These types of exercises train your muscles to work together to simulate common movements. This is different from conventional strength training and working on isolated muscle groups.
Working a combination of muscle groups — your upper and lower body, for example — at the same time could duplicate the movement you make while lifting something off the floor. The exercise that might be performed for this movement would include a squat and then a bicep curl.
The body can perform seven basic movements: gait, hinge, lunge, pull, push, squat and rotate. All exercises constitute variations on these movements. In performing these movements, you exercise all the major muscle groups.
Functional fitness exercises concentrate not only on upper and lower muscle groups, but also the core muscles in your middle from your chest Quick read more or view full article to your pelvic bone. By strengthening core muscles, you gain flexibility and stability. As your core strengthens, your balance and posture improve. Strong core muscles reduce injuries, promote stability and improve overall health.
Functional fitness exercises are low impact and can be performed by almost everyone, from beginners to athletes. Step-ups and lunges focus on balance. Try a lunge where you step back instead of forward with hand weights. Develop core strength by performing sit-ups with a medicine ball you move from side to side.
Use such props as weights, kettle bells, fitness balls and aerobic steps. Many exercises can be performed without equipment, using only the resistance of your body weight.
Athletes often use these multi-joint and multi-muscle exercises. Sports specific training can benefit from functional training as well.
Personal trainers often use a Bosu — both sides utilized — ball, which is rounded on one side and flat on the other. If you stand on the flat side, you must engage your core to retain balance. Moving a weighted medicine ball from one side of your body to the other while standing on the ball simulates the movement in a golf swing. This can be used for many other sports as well, including basketball and hockey.
Functional fitness training offers numerous benefits. Think of it as life training that creates a balance among your muscles and prepares you for your daily real life activities.
Read LessHere’s help to beat the summertime heat and keep fit
We wait all year, it seems, for summer to arrive. Now it’s finally here.
When most of us think of summer, we think about outdoor fun, vacations and a chance to kick back. Summer offers many opportunities to stay active. Beware, though: Changes in schedules present challenges in keeping your fitness routine on track.
So what can you do to have the most active, productive and fun-filled summer ever?
Warm weather provides many opportunities for enjoying outdoor activities. Take the family camping, fishing or hiking. Work in your garden. Enjoy a baseball game. Part of summer fun and fulfillment is enjoying the outdoors and the people you’re with.
Your normal schedule could be altered whether through work or having children at home. Those changes can affect daily routines, including exercise schedules. Here are a few tips to avoid sabotaging yourself this summer:
Set a summer goal. It’s almost mid-year. Ask yourself how you’ve done so far this year on your New Year’s resolutions. You might have succeeded in some areas, but not others. You could need to re-evaluate your goals to make them more realistic and attainable. Maybe you didn’t set goals. This is a great time to start. Try setting a different goal. What will that goal look like? It might be trying a new sport, learning to swim or visiting Quick read more or view full article a national park.
Stick to a schedule. Make sure your summer days include some structure, like getting up at the same time each day and eating meals at set times. Plan activities for specific times — exercising before breakfast, for example.
Stay busy. Without your appointment book filled, it could be easy to fall into a trap of becoming bored. Boredom goes hand in hand with low energy. Filling your days with stuff to do will give you a sense of accomplishment.
For many of us, summer still means going to work each day. But with more daylight hours, you don’t have to miss out. Whether you’re taking a vacation or just a weekend, include activities the family already enjoys as well as something new.
Manage the heat. Warmer weather is appreciated, but hot days can seem unbearable. During these times, move your activities elsewhere. Exercise at the gym, splash in a pool or go bowling. When you find yourself outdoors during scorching temperatures, remember to stay safe. Wear sunscreen or a long-sleeve shirt to protect your skin from harmful rays. Don’t forget the sunglasses and hat, too. Clothing that wicks moisture away from your skin as you perspire keeps you cooler. One of the most important items to keep you safe is water. Stay hydrated.
Eat healthy. This seems like an easy thing to do with all the fresh vegetables and fruits available. Beware of some of the foods associated with summer events, though. Backyard barbecues, campfire s’mores and ice cream treats can ruin the best-laid plans of staying fit through the summer. You can still enjoy treats, just keep them occasional.
Make summer a time to enjoy. Write down your summer goal and work toward realizing that goal. Make the most of every day, and you’ll make this summer your best ever.
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