Stick to Your Goals

Have you ever had goals but never followed through? It happens too much in our daily lives; every new year people throughout the world make resolutions that they say they will follow through with but at some point those resolutions go out the window. In order to have success in life, committing to goals is a necessity. Without goals how will you grow? Without sticking with your goals how will you reach the change you wish to see in your life? How are you able to measure progress? Goals are a way to compare where you once were to where you are now. Goals should be measurable and attainable. They need to be realistic, timely and specific. Goals centered around these five attributes are more likely to be reached than general goals.

We live in a world where quitting happens way too often and obstacles just get avoided. So where are you at with your goals? Are you committed? Are you forgetting them? Have you written down any goals? I know where I am with mine and trust me following goals does not come easy, even for a trainer. It takes discipline, commitment, and focus. It takes drive, desire, and a want to better myself. Each of us have that but we must dig deep in order to find those things. One of my goals right now is to ride my bicycle 4-5 times a week. I am training for a 24 hour bike-a-thon that is coming up in 45 days. It has been really tough for me to stick with that goal, some weeks I find myself riding once, other weeks I find myself riding four, and sometimes, truthfully, I do not ride at all. It shows that without fully committing, without accountability, and without striving to climb over obstacles that are goals we may never get to where we are hoping to be. It does not make us failures though, we get up the next day and choose to try again. If you missed a workout you were committing to, make it up. If you ate junk food and your goal was something along the lines of heating healthy, that is okay try again the next meal. The thing about life is each day, each hour, each minute, each second we are given multiple chances. Do not stop when you have failed, instead reevaluate, recommit, and go at that goal again. You have what it takes to overcome, to achieve, to succeed, and to reach those goals you are. Find somebody to hold you accountable you do not have to reach goals alone. Get back on that bike and start riding towards achievement.

“Plan an Adventure”

“Plan an Adventure”

School is out and summer is definitely in! What shall one do with the time we have, time that our kids are now home rather than at school? How about plan an adventure…an outdoor adventure!

Adventures don’t have to involve a whole lot of planning; they can be simple and take place right outside your front door. I will say…if you can plan a big adventure…go for it!

Now what is an adventure exactly? If we look it up it is defined as: an undertaking usually involving danger and unknown risks or an exciting or remarkable experience. Outside of this definition, there are no other rules to an adventure, so make it up yourself!

One thing I find easy for little adventures with my daughter are walking to the country homes right outside of my neighborhood. We go around the fields and admire the different animals. There’s an area off the path with rocks and little hills that we like to walk through…we feel like we are walking through dangerous territory. We find large sticks and use them as our walking sticks to protect us from any surprise “attack”! ;-)

We also enjoy more planned times of being adventurous…during a camping trip taking a hike and exploring the nature surrounding our camp site.

If this sounds appealing to you, let me add some benefits from being adventurous outdoors:

1. FRESH AIR- more oxygen being around trees & the happy feeling from the release of serotonin. Also fresh air can improve blood pressure, improve digestion and boost ones immune system.

2. Socialization- you’ll enjoy a unique experience together that will help you keep a healthy, happy relationship.

3. Improved Mood- spending some time outside in the sunlight can even out the levels of melatonin in your brain. Melatonin is the chemical that makes you feel tired and can induce feelings of depression, so by being adventurous outdoors, you can enjoy better overall moods during and after your adventure.

4. Less Stress- The lack of stress is related to the rise in oxygen levels, higher levels of serotonin and managed levels of melatonin mentioned above. There’s also an emotional component at work here, since it’s harder to be annoyed or angry when you’re doing something that you enjoy.

5. Exercise- Let’s not forget the most obvious benefit of an outdoor adventure: you’re spending a lot of time performing physical activities. Even if you’re not running or doing something strenuous, you’re burning more calories than sitting in the house.

Now, if you’re not pumped to get out there and go on an adventure, I don’t know what will motivate you.

Take it from me, it will make you and whoever you take happier- so get on out and be adventurous!

“Plan an Adventure”

School is out and summer is definitely in! What shall one do with the time we have, time that our kids are now home rather than at school? How about plan an adventure…an outdoor adventure!

Adventures don’t have to involve a whole lot of planning; they can be simple and take place right outside your front door. I will say…if you can plan a big adventure…go for it!

Now what is an adventure exactly? If we look it up it is defined as: an undertaking usually involving danger and unknown risks or an exciting or remarkable experience. Outside of this definition, there are no other rules to an adventure, so make it up yourself!

One thing I find easy for little adventures with my daughter are walking to the country homes right outside of my neighborhood. We go around the fields and admire the different animals. There’s an area off the path with rocks and little hills that we like to walk through…we feel like we are walking through dangerous territory. We find large sticks and use them as our walking sticks to protect us from any surprise “attack”! ;-)

We also enjoy more planned times of being adventurous…during a camping trip taking a hike and exploring the nature surrounding our camp site.

If this sounds appealing to you, let me add some benefits from being adventurous outdoors:

1. FRESH AIR- more oxygen being around trees & the happy feeling from the release of serotonin. Also fresh air can improve blood pressure, improve digestion and boost ones immune system.

2. Socialization- you’ll enjoy a unique experience together that will help you keep a healthy, happy relationship.

3. Improved Mood- spending some time outside in the sunlight can even out the levels of melatonin in your brain. Melatonin is the chemical that makes you feel tired and can induce feelings of depression, so by being adventurous outdoors, you can enjoy better overall moods during and after your adventure.

4. Less Stress- The lack of stress is related to the rise in oxygen levels, higher levels of serotonin and managed levels of melatonin mentioned above. There’s also an emotional component at work here, since it’s harder to be annoyed or angry when you’re doing something that you enjoy.

5. Exercise- Let’s not forget the most obvious benefit of an outdoor adventure: you’re spending a lot of time performing physical activities. Even if you’re not running or doing something strenuous, you’re burning more calories than sitting in the house.

Now, if you’re not pumped to get out there and go on an adventure, I don’t know what will motivate you.

Take it from me, it will make you and whoever you take happier- so get on out and be adventurous!

Zumba is BACK!

SPRING Into Action - Literally, Rose Larrabee

SPRING into action-literally!

We have our workout routines all set up in the way we’ve learned is “correct”. Resistance training 2-3 times a week along with 5 days of 20-30 minutes of cardio.

Now, that’s all great, but what about the days that are so jam packed with things to do? The days that make spending all that time on our workouts seem overwhelming.

And not only business, but what about those who (like me) don’t do well with running? As much as we may (or may not) love it, our joints just aren’t having it.

Between those two things, I’m sure we’ve all had days where we just can’t get the 20-30 minutes in. So what am I going to share next…we shouldn’t be doing cardio? Not at all, but might I suggest a new idea on cardio? A new type of cardio? A more “Springy” cardio?

It’s a type of training I would like to introduce to you as Plyometrics!

PLYOMETRICS: also known as "jump training" or "plyos", are exercises based around having muscles exert maximum force in as short a time as possible, with the goal of increasing both speed and power.

Now, before I go on, I would suggest you consult with your doctor before attempting plyometric training as it can be hard on an old injury and dangerous if not approached & applied safely and correctly.

After I had my first daughter I began doing plyometic training. I’ve spent less time on cardio then I did before I had kids and my results are far better! So, what exactly do I do? Well, I started with basic plyometric moves for the lower body (since it was to replace my outdoor running). I began mixing 2-5 minute bouts of plyometrics in my resistance training workouts. For example, I would do jump roping for 30 sec, squat jumps for 30 sec, tire hops for 30 sec and jumping jacks for 30 sec. From there I would go on to the next portion of my resistance routine. I researched new plyometric exercises in order to prevent boredom of the moves I already knew.

Throughout my resistance routine I would do about 4 spurts of the 2-5 minute bouts of plyometrics. The results were amazing! The greatest result I noticed was the weight loss after having my first baby and again now after my second! For my un-muscular calves, I finally developed definition and muscle which was another plus!

You will find various types of Plyometric training for all sorts of things. However, plyometric  exercises can be used to improve fat loss, strength and endurance. They are great for challenging your fast-twitch muscle fibers, coordination and agility. All these things work together to help transform fat into lean muscle while elevating your heart rate and igniting a caloric burn! Plyometrics can be made a lot of fun done to some upbeat music and most kids love to jump, hop and spring around with you!

So talk to your doctor or fitness professional, get some plyometric moves down and have fun with it! Try this new type of training and do the other when you want! Enjoy it and see if you don’t notice a difference!

Train for Something!

Train for Something!

“You can’t do it, you hate running! 13 miles? PLUS obstacles? There’s no way!”

That is the usual response I get when I tell people I’m dying to try the Tough Mudder race. Yeah, it’s rough. And I’m not saying I won’t stop to walk along the way. But I’m also not ruling out the fact that I could finish it. And with doubters? It makes it easier. But that’s not the only reason participating in a Tough Mudder is on my bucket list.

The majority of people have the primary goal of losing weight when they start their exercise and healthy eating lifestyle. They are tired of being a certain size, or tired of being the bigger person in a picture, or they just want to look better naked, in a bikini, in their favorite outfit that seems to be shrinking, etc., they want to be there for their kids and grandkids, for the graduations, weddings, and more child-bearing moments! They have the best of intentions. But they lose motivation or their driving spark to continue to work out and eat healthy usually because the visual results in their body aren’t making themselves as apparent as one would hope.

That’s where setting a goal outside of physical appearance can do wonders for your motivation! Make a goal for yourself to complete a 5k, without stopping to walk, and then train for it. Then make a new goal to beat your time on the next 5k. Add a 10k to the list. A half-marathon. A full marathon! You will have reasons other than looking good to motivate you to push on!

Not a runner? There are so many competitive sports and games out there that you can substitute! Join a boxing club, a dojo, a Crossfit box, etc. and compete in any events they have coming up! No, you don’t have to win, but you can see how well you do overall. Go to a yoga studio and work towards mastering those crazy-but-amazing poses that look impossible. You can do it!

As you progress in your training you will see your original goal of looking good start to progress, you’ll notice the changes in your body. But that’s not all! You will also see yourself get so much more motivated and focused if you have a goal OUTSIDE of just looking good. And everyone needs an end goal to stay on track. This year my end goal is to participate in a 2014 Tough Mudder obstacle race. What are you training for?

Need help deciding what would be the best fit for you? Call me! I’d be more than happy to find the best motivation for YOU!

Kayla Hargaden
Certified Personal Trainer
Certified TRX Group Instructor
kayla@guidingfitness.com
(317) 473-3398

Join a Sports Team

So many people in this world are too focused on watching their health that they miss out on the enjoyment of working out. Are you one of those people? Your health should be taken seriously. However, having fun with it should be a part of a fit lifestyle. One way to spring into enjoyable, action is to join a sports team, such as adult indoor soccer, adult basketball, adult softball, or maybe even a running group. Sports offer this combination of recreation and physical activity.

Not only are sport teams fun but they also put a spark in your healthy journey in all aspects; socially, mentally, competitively, and physically. You meet new people, new friends by joining a sports team. It could be something you and your spouse or significant other do together too! Exercise is a great way to relieve stress as well. From personal experience, sports has been a huge outlet for me, helping me find peace and to work out the negative emotions. 

Are you competitive person always looking for that next activity, or game, to ignite the competitiveness with in you? Sports can be really competitive. It has been seen that games, whether it being sport or in a workout class that demands an outcome of winning, lights a fire that makes you ultimately push harder and work harder. I have seen it in my own classes, doing team matches where they have to try and beat each other has empowered my clients to reach limits I had never seen them get to before. 

Sports will bring your fitness level to a new level, giving you more skill, muscle, endurance, and much more that your body needs to feel, look, and be healthy. There are a wide variety of opportunities to join a sports league. So spring into action, and get moving. I’m calling/challenging you try it for a season and you will not regret it. Start your own team or join one already formed and see your life transform more than you thought possible.