EN: Hey ho everybody! I am back and with the second part of the fit & health series - can I call it series? I mean it has two parts already so .. :D - anyways, if you missed the part one - head over here! I talked about food! And because I mentioned that staying fit and healthy means 80/20 - food/exercise, it's only natural that I gotta talk about exercise as well!
CZ: Moc se omlouvám, ale dnešní článek bude opět pouze v angličtině! Doufám, že mi to prominete! O:-)
So here comes the exercise.
I know you might get discouraged because you might just not be the running type, or your balance totally sucks (and let's be honest, balance is super important for lots of work-outs) or your physical condition just isn't the best. But you know what?
1. You don't have to be a pro to work out! It doesn't matter that you cannot run a half a mile, or that you look like you don't know a thing when it comes to exercise because ...
2. You are ultimately working out FOR YOURSELF. You are not doing it for that person working out next to you, or that fitness trainer or those rude girls who give you mean looks because of how you look like. If your motivation is to impress people and to be able to say "I'm better than you!", then you probably won't succeed in terms of longlasting improvement. But if you want to work out because you want to get in shape and feel fit and healthy, then go for it!
3. There are other benefits to working out besides loosing weight and becoming more flexible, fit and strong: you will feel happier (like seriously, have you ever been in a sad mood after your exercies? Yeah I didn't think so!), your stress will get reduced, you will less likely get sick, your memory will get sharpened, you will feel less tired, you will be more confident, you will be more motivated to work out the next day, you will more likely eat healthy afterwards, you will sleep better and many many other benefits.
4. If you worry about the money, know that you are not obligated to pay for gym memberships or personal trainers. Don't get me wrong, I don't have anything against any of these things but I know that not being able to pay for them and therefore not working out is not an excuse. There are so many free sources out there these days that saying you cannot afford to exercise is simply crap (excuse my language).
5. If you cannot find the motivation to get up and move, make yourself an inspiration board. And I am not just talking about pinterest. I mean REAL, PHYSICAL board! Print out the photos that make you feel like you should exercise and hang them somewhere you will see them. It works magic, trust me!
So now that we covered WHY you should work out, here are a few tips on HOW to work out:
1. Be patient: work yourself up. Process takes time, don't expect immidiate results!
2. Know how much is enough: If you started working out last week, hitting the gym for an hour and then going for a 5K run all during the same day might not be the smartest decision. Make also sure that you give your body time to rest - don't work out every day!
3. Switch it up: doing the same kind of exercise all the time will not get you as far as you think. Having a routine is completely fine but make sure to balance it. (For tips on exercises, keep reading!)
4. Don't just do cardio: kind of relates to the previous tip but it sure is important to do some strength exercising, stretching, pilates or yoga.
5. Be consistent: I know working out regularly requires a certain amount of determination and self-control but if you expect to see results, you gotta be willing to work for them hard and long!
6. Be willing to get uncomfortable: you will not look cute during and after your exercise routine. You will most likely sweat (ahem read: smell :D) a lot and there just isn't anything to change that. (Don't worry about all those photos with people who look stunning during their workouts - 99% of time those photos don't display real humans but unicorns who look like human beings :P Ok that was a joke! But seriously - just do your thing and don't worry about how you look like.)
7. Pay attention to the work out moves: when exercising by yourself at home, make sure you really know the moves you're doing/watch closely to the video you're following.
8. Have fun: ok ok, I know that most of the work outs are not really fun but try to make it fun anyway! You will most likely be more diligent with the exercise if you have a happy attitude about it!
Well and as promised, I am going to share a few tips on fun video exercises.
My favorite ones are HIIT workouts (high-intensity interval training) and that is because they are short (I usually just pick the ones that are 15-20 min long) and super effective!
Check out this one or this one from ToneItUp girls Karena and Katrina. (And if you feel like you could do a higher lever - check out this one.)
Lets stay at the full body work outs. Here are some you could enjoy: Popsugar Tabata-Workout or Popsugar 10-minute No Equipment Workout,
Check out this one or this one from ToneItUp girls Karena and Katrina. (And if you feel like you could do a higher lever - check out this one.)
Lets stay at the full body work outs. Here are some you could enjoy: Popsugar Tabata-Workout or Popsugar 10-minute No Equipment Workout,
And if you feel super strong, check out these real kick-ass workouts: 30-minute-Butt and Abs Pilates Workout, Popsugar Burn 300 calories in 30 minutes or The Ultimate 30-minute Workout Cardio Pilates.
Then here are some toning exercises for ya: Full Body Toning Routine and Total Body Tne Up both by ToneItUp or Full-Body Toning Yoga workout by Popsugar.
If you like to focus on one area of your body, here are some abs, butt or arm workouts: 15-minute Core Work out by Popsugar, Bikiny Abs routine by ToneItUp, The Butt-Lifting Workout That's Better Than Spanx by Popsugar, Ketttle Butty workout by ToneItUp, Loose Arm Fat exercise by XHIT Daily and Bikini Arms Workout by ToneItUp.
Then here are some toning exercises for ya: Full Body Toning Routine and Total Body Tne Up both by ToneItUp or Full-Body Toning Yoga workout by Popsugar.
If you like to focus on one area of your body, here are some abs, butt or arm workouts: 15-minute Core Work out by Popsugar, Bikiny Abs routine by ToneItUp, The Butt-Lifting Workout That's Better Than Spanx by Popsugar, Ketttle Butty workout by ToneItUp, Loose Arm Fat exercise by XHIT Daily and Bikini Arms Workout by ToneItUp.
Well and if you need some inspiration for vacation workouts - see Kenzas video. :-P
OK! That's it for today! I feel like I totally exhausted myself by just writing this haha! Hope you find these tips helpful and I will talk to you next week!
