Me, doin' the Laundry Workout...
I hope you’ve been enjoying my January fitness series called Release your Inner Olympian. The goal is to reach new fitness levels, but also doing it in a fun, frugal way. For today’s post, I’m bringing in the professionals! My pal Ruth is a personal trainer who started the site TheFitGirls last year. She has a heart particularly for those moms out there that struggle with balancing fitness and family life. I asked her if she would share some thoughts today on working out from home. Here are her thoughts on the topic!
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Designing your own workout is both enjoyable and easy. I feel like a kid in a candy store when I look at all of the different exercises and ways to put them together. Here are 4 basic steps to help you get started. (It is recommended to see a physician before you start any exercise regimen.)
STEP 1 – Find a realistic commitment level and make the best use of your time.
The first question you should ask yourself is, “How many times can I commit to working out?” Your answer will help you choose the right workout for your commitment level. Can you commit to 2-3 days per week? Can you commit to 4-5 days per week?
STEP 2 – Find the most effective workout for your time commitment.
Based on your answer in Step 1, you can now begin looking at different types of workouts. Here are two of my favorites:
The Peripheral Heart Action System: This system is for women who can only workout 2-3 days per week or women who have no access to cardiovascular equipment or aerobic videos.
This is a variation on circuit training and involves going back and forth between upper and lower body exercises with minimal rest. (Click for larger image.)
Visit The Fit Girls for a sample workout.
Split Routine: I use this mainly with women who like to train 3-5 days per week and have access to cardiovascular equipment or aerobic videos. This type of system involves breaking the body parts to be trained on separate days so that you can perform more work. It also gives each body part time to recover.
Visit The Fit Girls for a sample workout. You can also check out this online Exercises Guide site for demonstrations on how to perform some of the exercises above.
STEP 3 – Work out for the right amount of time.
A good workout takes no more than 1 hour. If you are spending 1 ½ hours working out then you need to up your intensity level. Typically a weight training routine will last between 20-30 minutes followed by a 30-40 minute cardio workout. I try to keep my workouts between 45-60 minutes as I find I lose weight faster when I go past the 30 minute mark.
STEP 4 – Eat the right amount of calories and don’t sabotage your hard work.
Diet is 90% of the solution when trying to slim down. An easy calculation to find out what your body needs to maintain its weight is 13 X (your body weight). If you want to lose weight then you need to lower this number either by diet or exercise. Keep in mind that 1 pound is 3500 calories. If you want to lose 1 pound per week then you need to reduce your calories by 500 either by your workout or diet.
I hope that you can discover the joys of being your own personal trainer and make your workouts fun and something that you look forward to. The possibilities are endless and if you put in the hard work you will find success. Make fitness a part of your everyday lifestyle.
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Ruth Weger is a Certified Personal Trainer through the National Academy of Sports Medicine. She is passionate about helping women learn about fitness and basic nutrition and hopes to see women implement better choices in their homes. She has two children and is happily married and lives with her family in Puyallup, WA. You can visit her at The Fit Girls.
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