fitness class

Nov

2018

How To Get Active After Taking A Break

So, you took a bit of time off your workout regime, and now you’re struggling to get back at it. Maybe you extra day went from one day to a week. Maybe your break has really encompassed your entire life and you’re ready to change your lifestyle. Sometimes a break is the result of vacation, illness, or in my case laziness. Whatever the case may be, getting active after taking a break is one of the hardest things to do.

Find A Buddy

Finding a work out buddy is one of the simplest ways to get active after taking a break. Having someone to go to the gym with gives you accountability. When one of you doesn’t want to go, the other makes them, and while working out you have a spotter if necessary as well as someone to push you a little harder.

Do What You Love

Have you always had one particular exercise style that you love to do? Running. Deadlifts. Mine is swimming. If possible to go back to doing what you love to do, that might just give you all the motivation that you need.

Invest Some Dollars

It’s a fact that most people are inclined to get their monies worth out of something. If that something is a gym membership or a registration fee then so be it.

Take A Class

Signing up for a class is another great way to get back at it. The group setting is also great for accountability, and you might even fall in love with a new work out style. Take a peek at my HITT post if you’re looking for some inspiration.

Get Out Of The House

I know so many people who are able to work out at home, I am not one of those people. I need to get out of the house and workout somewhere else. Somewhere like a gym works best for me. Having other people around makes me more inclined to work hard. Others peoples results are often my own motivation.

Start Small

If you take a significant amount of time off from your work out routine, you can not expect to jump right back in where you left off. Start off slow, shorter distances, lighter weights. Before you know it you will be back where you were before you took time off, and soon surpassing those.

Getting back into your program is one of the hardest things to do, in regards to a workout routine. Whatever your reason for the break, the important thing to remember is that you’ve made the decision to get back at it. Hopefully, these tips help you get back on track.

Mar

2018

What You’ll Experience When You Take a HITT Class

In January a local trainer was having a promotion for their HITT Class. 6 classes for $6. This gave me the opportunity to give this HITT thing a try, while also having my first experience in a group fitness setting. The classes had to be used within a certain time period, meaning I would miss a week because of my trip to Maui, but it was still an awesome deal that I couldn’t pass up.

What is HITT Training?

HIIT, or high-intensity interval training, is a training technique in which you give all-out, one hundred percent effort through quick, intense bursts of exercise, followed by short, sometimes active, recovery periods. The idea being that your heart rate is kept up, and you burn more fat in less time. It then creates an afterburn effect, where you continue to burn calories, and fat, long after your workout is complete.

The Class

My first day of class, my anxiety tried to convince me not to go. I generally work out alone, with headphones, and in my own world. But I made it there. After filling out some quick paperwork I took a look around. I could see 4 stations set up. Each for a different type of exercise, working different body parts and muscle groups.

The instructor introduced herself and she was friendly and FULL of energy. If I had to make a comparison, I would like her to my 7-year-old, after he drank a Redbull (hypothetically speaking of course). She started off with a light warm-up, jogging in place, then worked in some punches, and jumping jacks to get the blood moving. After this, she demonstrated each of the exercises. Then it was our turn.

For the next 30 minutes, we worked through each of the different exercises. They were all easily adaptable for anyone who couldn’t do a certain move because of injury or whatever the case may be. We did each exercise for 45 seconds, moved on to the next, and repeated each twice. Following the final rotation, we took a quick water break while we learned the next ones. Repeating this process until we had completed all the exercises. Afterwards, we did a cool down with some stretching.

First Impression

I left the class feeling a little disappointed. I had heard that this was going to be one of the most intense workouts I had ever had, and while I was sweating I didn’t feel like I had gotten everything I could have out of it. So, even I returned, I vowed to push myself harder.

The second class was set up identically, because obviously this is what HITT is, and so I tackled it with everything I had in me. This time when I left the class I left feeling satisfied. I had actually gotten what I wanted out of this class. The next day I was a sore. My muscle groups had received a good workout during the class and I finally felt like I got what I had expected.

My takeaway

Overall, for my first class setting, I walked away satisfied. I am not ready to commit to a class long term but I learned a lot of different exercises for different muscle groups and have started I have implemented HITT into more of my regular workouts during the week.

Should you take a HITT class?

If you’re looking for a class setting to get a good workout, that doesn’t involve a bike, then yes. Like any other workout, you’re going to get out of it what you put into it. The harder you work, the more results you will see. All the exercises are easily adapted to any body type and fitness levels.