If you have a fitness routine, are you getting the results that you want? If you don’t have one, you should start one as soon as possible. To make sure you create a balanced YOU, you need to make sure your fitness regime is balanced.
Here are some key components to include when building your program:
- Cardio-Vascular Exercise
- Strength Training
- Yoga or Stretching
- Nutrition
- Rest and Relaxation
- Meditation
- Ayurveda (Healthy Lifestyle Choices)
Including all of the above will help insure that your fitness routine has the chance to be balanced. How you use these components is even more important. They need to be geared for your specific wants and needs. If not, you will still be left wondering why you aren’t getting the results you want.
So how do you know what is the right combination of the key components? Start by determining exactly what you want. Know why you want what you want. (We are talking about long term health and fitness goals, not the 20lb weight loss by the wedding goal!) Then decide by when, (set an exact date) do you want to achieve this. Give yourself a reasonable amount of time depending on the amount of change you are expecting. Once you have answered these questions, then the how can be determined.
I always ask my clients a couple more questions: How bad do you want this and what are you willing to do to get it? (The answer usually is they want it “badly”, and they will do “anything”). The next question I ask is: How much time are you willing to give to this endeavor? This is usually where the breaks come to a screeching halt.
Time is always a factor and sometimes the deal breaker. No one wants to spend the time it takes to work all the components. So I guess the next question is, “What is more important than your health and well-being?” Here’s a fun exercise for you to try:
Step 1: Take a piece of paper and draw a line down the middle. Write your daily schedule down one side of the paper. List the activities of your day and how long you do that activity. Start the minute you get up and be explicit. Every minute needs to be accounted for until you go to bed. If your weekend schedule is really different, you will need two columns…one for weekdays and one for weekends.
Step 2: On the other side of the paper, write down your priorities in order from most important to least important. You should have no more than 8.
Step 3: Now go back to your schedule and categorize the amount of time you spend each day doing different things. For example:
- Work – 8 hours
- Prepare meals/eat – 2 hours
- Exercise – 1 hour
You get the picture. Then multiply by 7 to see how much time you spend in each category each week. (Don’t forget if the weekend is different, you will need to multiply the weekday by 5 and then add the weekend numbers in.)
Step 4: List your weekly activities from highest number of hours spent to the lowest number of hours spent.
Step 5: Look across the page to your priorities. Do they match?
If they match, then you are off to a great start. Time is not an issue. If they don’t, guess what? Your priorities are determined by where you spend your time. Your real list of priorities is the list from step 4. The only exception to the rule might be where work plays into it. And that can only be the exception if you work a 40 week. Workaholics, sorry, you are not balanced.
So now go back to my question: How bad do you want this and what are you willing to do to get it? It may take rearranging your schedule to reflect your priorities. Remember: You always find time for the things you put first. Without the time, the components are useless.
How much time are you going to need? We will talk about that in upcoming blogs, so stay tuned.
And the last question. Do you believe you can change? Not the longest question, but the most important. If you do not believe it is posible for you to find your way back to balance, you won’t. Period.
Thanks for reading and sharing with your friends.
If you are interested in developing a personalized fitness plan with a Certified Personal Trainer, Certified Yoga and Pilates Instructor, Ayurveda Consultant and Nutrition Specialist, send me an quick email at PeggyBreeze@gmail.com and we can set up an appointment either in person, online or over the phone.
Until next time,
Peggy