This new column will focus on Health, Fitness and Safety.  Focusing on these areas we can find a more balanced, longer and more successful life for ourselves and our families!

Summer is approaching, and many of us look at our waistlines wondering if there is something we can do to look better for when people see “more of us”.  Major ads on TV hype up miracle scams for our fitness goals, and even the “good” ones are always one sided.  In both Lincoln and Omaha we are lucky to have some great professional resources in these areas and people who can help us make it happen.

In order to achieve real success (and faster than any one sided approach), we must focus on three different areas:
1. Physical Training or Exercise
2. Nutrition/Supplements
3. Stress Relief/Control

Celebrities in infomercials might try to convince us to buy some gadget or magic sugar pill or weirdo diet, but when we cut through the hype, we have to focus on fundamentals.

First Up: Workout Tips and Exercise

There are literally hundreds if not thousands of things we can do to exercise.  Some people are under the illusion that you have to train like a championship boxer or an Olympic athlete, but the reality is we just have to focus on consistency and intensity.  Walking, jogging, weightlifting, aerobics, martial arts, yoga, biking, bootcamps, interval training…..the options go on and on.  So then the question is what are factors to help us decide what “works” for us?

Here are a couple of workout factors that lead to our ability to stick with a program include:

1. Changing it up: Be sure your workouts or exercise program offers some variables.  If you get bored, it’s hard to have good intensity and it’s hard to stay motivated….and this equals poor results and early drop out from the program.

2. Be Social: Some people prefer to workout alone.  However, countless studies and research show that when you workout with a partner or in a group, 1) you are more likely to not skip out on a workout and 2) you are likely to put out more effort!

3. Use intervals! Once upon a time, people thought that hours on end of low intensity cardio was the way to go.  Though doing something is better than nothing, if you are trying to get significant results, intervals have been proved over and over to be better.  This can apply in a variety of exercise types but simply put: exercise at a higher intensity for a short period of time, followed by a period of  lower intensity to give yourself a brief but active rest.  Controlling your down times and having these higher intensity intervals result in far greater fat loss and overall conditioning.

Finally, focus on engaging the whole body!  If you get into some great “ab workout” you will eventually realize you are neglecting most of your body.  Even if you want bigger arms or “guns”, an expert will tell you that you should work the whole body not just stand around doing curls all day.  In fact, doing squats will have a big impact on your  arms because of the way it impacts your whole body…..but that’s a whole other discussion.

Bottom line:  Don’t neglect any part of your body by focusing too much on one isolation workout or your overall results will be lacking.
Again there are many great instructors and programs around town that can help in these areas.  Look around at bootcamps, kickboxing, martial arts, gyms, and personal trainers.  Try them out and find a good fit for you.  Make it even better by getting a friend to join in with you!

Check out next month’s issue of Strictly Business Magazine for info on “Nutrition and Supplements”.

by Jeff Dousharm, President
Tiger Rock Academy
http://tracademy.com/
JDousharm@windstream.net
402-570-1166