Showing posts with label workout. Show all posts
Showing posts with label workout. Show all posts

7 Ways to Motivate Yourself to a Good Workout

1. Chuck all those fashion magazines away

First things first, you are not striving to achieve a healthy and active lifestyle to look a certain way or to become a certain body size. Nobody is made from the same mold - everyone's physique and genes differ. Whatever body features you have, embrace them and be proud of them. Stop reading magazines where every model has photoshopped images and have unrealistic beauty standards. Grab yourself some health related magazines or books to read on to know how you can make better health choices.

2. Get a workout buddy

It is always great to have a workout partner with you whether it is a friend, spouse, family member etc. Having a workout partner is a good idea because you can pump each other up and stay motivated if either one of you does not feel like working out.

3. Load your iPod with motivational songs and lectures

Make a separate playlist of motivational and inspiring songs that would pump you up for an awesome workout. YouTube is full of motivational speeches related to workouts that can keep you running on the treadmill for hours or jogging in the park early in the morning.

4. Build rapport with your trainer

It is always best to build a good relationship with your trainer. Your trainer will push you harder and motivate you to finish that last rep of squats or a 30kg bench press. There are many people who go to the gym and never bother to even have a conversation with their trainers and just do half hearted workouts and leave. You will be twice as likely to stay motivated in the gym knowing that there is someone watching over your exercises.

5. Workout as soon as you can

Head to the gym directly from work instead of going home because once you are home you will feel lazy and won't feel like going to the gym. Most companies have their own gym, so take full advantage of that as well.

6. Set an alarm

Set a workout alarm and reminder on your phone so that you don't have any excuses of "forgetting" to workout.

7. Find something that you love and substitute it for a workout

Gyms are not for everyone and that's OK because there are other options that you can take such as yoga, Zumba or swimming etc. All these are body toning activities and you end up feeling more energized after doing them.

Bonus tip:

It's a given that having a healthy diet goes hand in hand with an active lifestyle but every now and then if you miss a day of a workout or eat something unhealthy, don't let it make you feel guilty and give up. Everybody slips up, you just have to be persistent. And who said, a few cheat meals here and there aren't allowed?


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7 Ways to Motivate Yourself to a Good Workout


1. Chuck all those fashion magazines away

First things first, you are not striving to achieve a healthy and active lifestyle to look a certain way or to become a certain body size. Nobody is made from the same mold - everyone's physique and genes differ. Whatever body features you have, embrace them and be proud of them. Stop reading magazines where every model has photoshopped images and have unrealistic beauty standards. Grab yourself some health related magazines or books to read on to know how you can make better health choices.

2. Get a workout buddy

It is always great to have a workout partner with you whether it is a friend, spouse, family member etc. Having a workout partner is a good idea because you can pump each other up and stay motivated if either one of you does not feel like working out.

3. Load your iPod with motivational songs and lectures

Make a separate playlist of motivational and inspiring songs that would pump you up for an awesome workout. YouTube is full of motivational speeches related to workouts that can keep you running on the treadmill for hours or jogging in the park early in the morning.

4. Build rapport with your trainer

It is always best to build a good relationship with your trainer. Your trainer will push you harder and motivate you to finish that last rep of squats or a 30kg bench press. There are many people who go to the gym and never bother to even have a conversation with their trainers and just do half hearted workouts and leave. You will be twice as likely to stay motivated in the gym knowing that there is someone watching over your exercises.

5. Workout as soon as you can

Head to the gym directly from work instead of going home because once you are home you will feel lazy and won't feel like going to the gym. Most companies have their own gym, so take full advantage of that as well.

6. Set an alarm

Set a workout alarm and reminder on your phone so that you don't have any excuses of "forgetting" to workout.

7. Find something that you love and substitute it for a workout

Gyms are not for everyone and that's OK because there are other options that you can take such as yoga, Zumba or swimming etc. All these are body toning activities and you end up feeling more energized after doing them.

Bonus tip:

It's a given that having a healthy diet goes hand in hand with an active lifestyle but every now and then if you miss a day of a workout or eat something unhealthy, don't let it make you feel guilty and give up. Everybody slips up, you just have to be persistent. And who said, a few cheat meals here and there aren't allowed?

http://ezinearticles.com/?7-Ways-to-Motivate-Yourself-to-a-Good-Workout&id=9820704

Even Failed Effort Produces Muscle

Today, a friend of mine, expressed how sore her legs were after a recent workout. As a joke, I asked her if she wanted me to help her walk up the stairs. She replied with a painful laugh that climbing up the stairs wasn't the problem. It was coming down the stairs that really hurt.

Her comment about coming down the stairs being more painful reminded me of my old workout days. When my workout buddies and I really wanted to shock our muscles into some new growth, we would focus on the controlled, slow lowering of the weights after they had just been hoisted up. This advance technique of weight lifters is called negative reps. Negative reps cause muscle failure.

This little story above about muscle failure and failed effort has much wider reaching powers than the typical gym rat. You see, it's not just the fitness world that has this phenomenon of slow descents, negative reps, and failed efforts that are producing bigger, and stronger muscles. In life, our efforts that don't work out how we had hoped also produces larger muscles, however, these muscles are called courage muscles. These bigger and stronger courage muscles produce more human capabilities that continue to grow with each future effort, into more and more human capacity.

Listen, we all know the world is filled with everyday people who would like to try to avoid failed effort. And for the most part you can't blame them. However, every once in a while someone will pass through our lives who catches our attention. We can't help but notice that there is something different about this particular person. Is it their broader shoulders and firmer arms? Or is it the presence of confidence and determination? Either way, I'm sure what produces standout qualities in these special people, is a lot of failed effort, negative reps, and many descents when they would rather have been climbing up.

Now teens, go learn, lead, and lay the way to a better world for all of us. Remember that even failed effort produces muscle. And once again, thanks in advance for all that you do, and all that you will do...




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Why Mind Muscle Connection Is Important and How to Improve It

What is mind-muscle connection?

It is a connection that allows you to mentally control your muscles on purpose.

When performing a weight-bearing exercise, you can mentally control your target muscle during each repetition. The aim is to get a strong contraction within the target muscle.

It also allows you to individually control individual muscles and different body parts, i.e. moving your toes separately. With a good mind-muscle connection, you are aware of what every part of your body is doing. You are connected to it. It plays a big part in co-ordination.

With a good mind-muscle connection you can make your muscles work during a workout without any weights at all. You can feel your muscles working.

What are the benefits of mind-muscle connection?


  • Less injury
  • Better co-ordination
  • Know what your body is doing
  • More effective workouts
  • More in touch with your body and aware of how it feels
  • Efficient use of muscles in day-to-day activities
  • The benefits are truly endless. Creating a mind-muscle connection puts you in touch with your body. This, in turn helps to reconnect your mind, body and soul and makes you more aware of how your thoughts affect your body.


While mind-muscle connection is extremely beneficial when strengthening our muscles, the connection with our body as we get older is important to avoid stiffening of the body. It can creep up without you even knowing. If you are connected to your body, you can stay in control and stay fitter for longer.

It can also help to improve balance and co-ordination.

Can a mind-muscle connection be developed?

It definitely can. It can take up to 45 days to retrain the brain and to develop new neural pathways. Training needs to be done almost every day.

It is important, however to give your brain a rest for a day or two to allow the new information to settle in. Remember that it needs a regular workout, just like your muscles.

How can I train my brain to have a mind-muscle connection?

A really good way to start is with a bicep curl.

Stand tall and tuck one of your elbows into your waist and assume the starting position of a bicep curl. Pretend you are holding a weight. Don't use a weight. It is important to start with no weights.

Place your opposite hand on your bicep. Look at your bicep and think about your bicep. Put your mind into your bicep.

Start to do a bicep curl really slowly. Feel how your muscle is working. Think about how your muscle is working.

As you continue to slowly do a bicep curl, try to make your muscle contract a little harder. Really connect with your bicep muscle and be in control of it.

Once you have worked one side for a while, repeat on the other side.

Once you have the idea, try moving your toes separately. Sit with your foot up and look at your toes. Put your mind into your toes.

Try and move your big toe towards you with your other toes moving away. Once you have that, try alternating your big toe back and forth with your other toes. Repeat with your other foot.

The important part is that you don't give up. You probably won't feel anything for the first few weeks but keep practising with just as much concentration every time. One day you will just 'get it' and then you will be able to call on it whenever you need to.

As you start to get the idea, try it with every muscle in your body. What you are essentially doing is putting your mind into your muscles and being in control of them.

Once you have established your mind-muscle connection, you can add light weights to your mind training. It is important not to move forward to fast by using weights that are too heavy. Form is everything.

A good mind-muscle connection will help you to get more out of life regardless of your age.

Kathryn is a leading health and prosperity coach specialising in helping people who are ready to embrace the possibilities and make the changes needed to improve their health and prosperity.

After healing her own life, Kathryn is passionate in sharing her knowledge to help others heal theirs. She has also used the same powerful and proven techniques to improve her own prosperity.

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