What Are You Waiting For?

If you haven’t reached your fitness goals yet, then what is it that is hindering you? What keeps you from being totally happy with the body you’re in? Why aren’t you working out regularly, making healthy nutritional choices, and making the most of the awesome gift you’ve been blessed with in which to experience your human form: your amazing body.

I think that the answer to these questions varies from person to person, but one of the biggest things I hear most often is probably NOT ENOUGH TIME. Everybody is so busy trying to multitask and manage their lives and their families’ lives that just finding the time to work out or get to the gym can seem almost impossible.

To the time issue I say this: I can appreciate and understand this problem. However, the bottom line is that we all make time for the things that we really want to do. If it means you have to get up at 4 o’clock in the morning to work out, then that is what you have to do. Think about this: if you do not make time to take care of yourself because of your familial obligations, you are really shooting yourself and your family in the foot. If you die early due to not taking care of yourself, who is going to take care of your family then? This may seem a little harsh, but it’s the plain and simple truth. You have to prioritize it into your lifestyle now. This is important if you want to be around for the long run for your loved ones’ sakes. If you want this badly enough, you’ll figure out a way! No sugar-coating it. Just do it. And remember, a short workout is better than no workout at all! If you train smart, it is possible to get a good strength training workout in 30 minutes or less. NOTE: You can do cardio in 10-minute increments and still receive the benefits!

The second obstacle is probably lack of motivation and the third is lack of knowledge of what to do. People want to or think they want to do this and they think they are ready. They then join a gym and many times one of two things happen: They go to the gym and do a sub-par workout and get sub-par results and lose their motivation quickly and drop out. Or they hit the gym full speed ahead, way beyond their fitness or skill level, and get overwhelmed and discouraged (or even worse—injured) and drop out.

This is why a good personal trainer is a great investment. They can motivate you, design an effective, safe, and structured workout specifically for your individual goals and needs, show you how to perform the exercises properly and give you accountability. You’ll be much more likely to be successful with a sensible plan and some sound guidance.

Another obstacle may be money or lack thereof. Some people say that they cannot afford a gym membership or a personal trainer. I say, look at it as an investment in your health, happiness, future, and your family’s health, happiness, and future. That’s what it is. To illustrate this point, let's take a look at a person I personally know that we’ll call Jay. Jay just lost 20 pounds and lowered his cholesterol by 300 points and will be coming off his medication soon. True story. Jay did this by changing his lifestyle from poor eating and drinking habits to daily exercise, healthy eating, and moderation and balance in all things. He is a living example of how this stuff really does work.

Now, ask him what his cholesterol medication used to cost him, what his doctors visits were costing him and how much he spent on daily stomach med prescriptions like Prilosec or Prevacid. That’s not even taking into consideration the health issues he headed off at the pass by taking his health into his own hands and turning his life around through healthy lifestyle choices. Jay was headed for heart disease, possible diabetes, gastrointestinal problems, and God knows what, not to mention terrible quality of life as he aged and probable early death as the consequences of his unhealthy lifestyle took their toll.

Unfortunately, this is the sad condition of much of the general population. The money Jay is saving doesn’t even compare to the measly cost of a gym membership. Seriously! We are killing ourselves people and it doesn’t have to be this way!

If you truly cannot afford a trainer, then research it. Google it, buy a book, DVD, or whatever floats your boat. Look it up online. There is no shortage of information in today’s technology age.

Another option if money is an issue, you can set up a home gym for very little investment. You can do cardio outside or buy a piece of cardio equipment and a Swiss ball and a few handheld weights along with some resistance bands and get a great home workout! One of my books tells you exactly how to get a great home workout. Just click the link below to check it out!

Do some research and get busy. You can stock a home gym for a few measly bucks and begin to change your life today! Stop making excuses and just get moving! Be sure and go to NowWhatFitness.com and check out my books for assistance and guidance with planning your new fitness lifestyle.

This is the part of the newsletter where I feature an exercise and give explicit instructions on its proper execution.

This month's featured exercise shows a really cool way to use the Smith machine that you may not have tried before. Normally peeps just use this contraption for presses and squats and such. However, you can do push ups and pull ups on it and vary the intensity by simply moving the bar up or down. Today, we are doing the pullup and it is great for your back and biceps. Let's face it, few of us can do an actual pullup, but with the Smith machine, anyone can! Yay!

Smith Machine Pullups
Primary Muscle Group Worked: Back and biceps.

To see a video click here

Preparation: Set the bar on the Smith Machine at desired height. (The lower the bar, the greater the difficulty.) Take a wide, overhand grip keeping elbows in soft lock at bottom of move. Lie beneath the bar with the bar just above the chest. Keep body straight from head to toe with a soft lock (slightly bent) in knees throughout.

Execution: Exhale as you slowly bend arms and raise body towards the bar nearly touching chest to bar. Inhale as you slowly return to start position for desired number of reps.

TIPS: 1) Keep elbows flared throughout exercise. 2) Keep slight arch in lower back and keep upper back flat with shoulder blades retracted throughout. 3) Basically, keep your entire body in a straight line with a soft lock in the knees. 4) Do not jerk upper body up towards bar or allow butt to drop or lurch in either direction.

HEREIN LIES THE CHALLENGE: Control the speed, keep elbows flared, and body in straight line! Good luck!

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THE PONDER POND
Okay, peeps! This is the inspirational part of the newsletter known as the "Ponder Pond" where you're welcome to take a swim in the sweet waters of inspiration.

With the 2012 Summer Olympics just finishing up, this video jumped out at me (as they coincidentally often do) and blessed me to the very depths of my soul as I watched it. For that reason, there was no question or need to look any further. I apologize that it starts with a super-short ad. I hope you watch it through to the end and that it touches you the way it did me.

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TO BUY MY BOOKS OR READ MY BLOG
Be sure and check out my new blog site! Just click here to head on over and give it a read! I will be posting a new blog in the next few weeks.

Please sign up for my mailing list and subscribe to my blog so that you can be informed when I post a new blog. I am a believer in less is more so don't worry about being inundated with posts telling you every time I had a snack or a new thought. On the other hand, I hope you find the wait between posts worthwhile as I plan to speak directly from my "writing" soul and I look greatly forward to it.

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NEED HELP WITH YOUR FITNESS PLAN?
Go Here to buy my fitness books now for your Kindle!! And did you know you can give Kindle ebooks as gifts – just click the yellow "Give as a Gift" button on the right side of any Kindle book page on Amazon.

The Now What? Fitness Series is for sale now at Amazon.com and is available for download to your Kindle, iPad, iPhone, Blackberry, Android devices, PC, and Mac.

Or if you're a loyal Barnes and Noble customer, then by all means click here.

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Say! Did you know that you can follow me on Facebook? Well, you can! Jump on over to Facebook.com/StraightforwardFitness and "like" my page, please. I post a fitness tip most days. Feel free to leave comments and check in often. Thanks ever so much! If you have read any of my books you can also go to my new facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/NowWhatBooks and drum up a conversation with other readers or me or whomever. It's brand new so don't let the crickets scare you. Somebody has to get this party started, right?

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Thanks so much for subscribing to this newsletter and for reading it and for your support. Our relationship is reciprocal as I live and learn from all that happens in my life, just as you live and learn through yours. We are truly in this together, and I empathize with your challenges as I do my own. I promise to hang in there and learn and grow along with you, and I hope that sharing through my writing maybe helps you a smidge. If it does, that is my payback. It is why I continue to do what I do.

If you enjoyed this newsletter, please feel free to pay it forward to anyone you think would like it too. That is the best compliment you could ever pay me, and I appreciate it very, very much.

And don't forget to tell everybody about Straightforwardfitness.com and Now What? Fitness Blog where they can get all the fitness info their heart desires and sign up for this newsletter while they are there.

From my heart to your health,

Linda Burke, CPT