New You Guide
It is that time of year again. New Year’s resolutions are but a fond memory and all your good intentions are left for a Monday morning when the diet and fitness regime begin once more. Well we think it’s time you picked up that neatly packed gym bag (the one that was left by the door last week) and get back on track. By following the steps below we can help you achieve your New Year’s resolutions, but instead of New Year let’s say…New You resolutions.
1. Have an obtainable goal
Set yourself up for success, not failure. Maybe your goal is to run the women’s mini marathon or climb Croagh Patrick. It may be only to walk up the stairs and not get out of breath, or maybe it’s to lose a stone. Having a goal to work towards makes it easier to stay focused and motivated. Ensure your goals are obtainable and achievable, stay positive and take every day as it comes.
'Good things happen when you go for It' - Alan Webb
2. Have a plan
You are twice as likely to succeed when you know what you are doing and when you are doing it. Make a plan on a weekly or monthly basis and pin it on the fridge, or keep it in your diary. It is helpful to have it so you can see what you are doing and when you are doing it. For example, on Monday you’re walking to the top of the road and back; Tuesday you have aqua aerobics; Wednesday you’re going to the gym; Thursday day off; Friday you’re out for a walk again; Saturday you and the kids are out for a bike ride and Sunday you rest. This is a very simple plan but it does help to be organised. The same applies to training for a ½ marathon. You have to set yourself up with a training schedule as you can’t go out and run 13.1 miles just because you want to. You have to plan for it, train towards it and build up your cardiovascular and muscular endurance gradually.
Example: 2 Week Plan
| MON | TUES | WED | THURS | FRI | SAT | SUN |
| Walk 3miles | Aqua Aerobics 11am | Gym 10am | REST | Walk 3 miles | Bike ride | REST |
| Gym | Aqua Aerobics 11am | REST | Walk 3 miles | Gym | Walk 3.5 miles | REST |
3. Break your goals down into mini goals
Having small milestones along the way helps keep you motivated and focused on what it is you want to achieve. For example, if your goal is to lose weight, start off with the first ½ stone and then go for 1 stone and so on until you reach your goal.
If your goal is to run in a 10km race, start off by doing 5km within 30 minutes and then add strength training to increase muscular endurance. Build on your times to get personal bests and make sure you enjoy running your race and don’t just struggle through it.
Each time you hit a milestone reward yourself
Have a treat – a nice dinner, go to the hairdressers or have a facial. Even if it’s taking an hour just for you and having a bath and doing your nails, treat yourself. And boys, we haven’t forgotten about you. Your treats could be a round of golf, a drink in the pub with your friends, your favourite meal cooked for you or even an hour to have a soak in the bath (nails optional!).
4. Involve your friends and family
This is to keep you motivated and supported as you work towards your goals. Surround yourself with people who care about what you are doing and who will try to motivate you should you have a wobble. This way you can share your successes and they can help you get over your blips.
Have a training buddy
Training buddies are great as they keep you company while you train, make you push yourself harder and keep you safe when you’re training outside (safety in numbers). You can’t let your training buddy down so, even if you don’t feel like the gym on a wet Wednesday morning, you know you are meeting your friend there and you can’t let them down.
If you are really struggling to stay motivated and need an extra push, hire a personal trainer for six weeks to get you organised. Have a programme designed specifically to help you achieve your goals. Expert advice and encouragement from a personal trainer will challenge you more than working on your own. They will also keep your programme varied and interesting. You can choose to train in the gym, at home, in the park, anywhere you like so that location and content vary. You will also learn training tips which you can continue to use when your sessions with your trainer are over.
5. Ensure you have the right gear
First and foremost, make sure you have the correct footwear. If you don’t you could suffer an injury. Elverys offer a PB180 analysis in store where you can check which trainers suit your individual training requirements, the shape of your feet and your movement pattern. Ensure your training gear doesn’t rub on your skin too much. You sweat when you exercise and, if your top or bottoms are incorrectly fitted (or the wrong material) they can irritate and chafe your skin. Check out our gym range at www.elverys.ie. Both Nike and Adidas have a range of products designed to keep you cool, dry and comfortable during your workouts. Body Logic, Elverys own brand for women, provides gym clothing which is designed for comfort and ease of movement during workouts. The range includes non-chafe seams, superior quality lightweight cotton lycra for breathability, stretch and optimal fit.
6. You don’t need a gym membership to get fit
Get out and walk, jog, run or even skip. Get a heart rate monitor to ensure you are not under (or over) doing it (the table below will tell you what your training heart rate should be). Heart rate monitors are also great as they give you a summary of calories burned for the time you exercise.
How to monitor how hard you are training
Your Maximum Heart Rate (MHR) is the maximum your heart rate should ever be (see formula below). Depending on your fitness goals, age and lifestyle, your training zone can vary and may change as you become fitter and get closer to achieving your goals.
Simple formula:
Maximum Heart Rate (MHR)=220 – Age
E.G. 220 - 20years=200 maximum heart rate (MHR)
Training Zone:
| Healthy heart zone | 50-60% |
| Fat burning zone | 60-70% |
| Aerobic Zone | 70-80% (reached easily by running) |
| Anaerobic | 80-90% |
| Redline Zone | 90-100% (used mostly for interval training and done in short bursts) |
Example
A 20 year old male club footballer wants to maintain his fitness off season. He would aim to be working at between 65 - 80% to maintain his fitness but not overdo it pre-season. Therefore his upper and lower heart rate would be as follows:
220 – 20=200 MHR
200 divided by 65%=130 beats per minute (BPM)
200 divided by 80%=160 BPM
This gives a training zone of 130 to 160 BPM
Create your own Gym
You could create your own gym at home rather than having an expensive gym membership or hiring a personal trainer. This can be done easily and effectively without draining your bank account or knocking down walls.
Firstly, consider what cardiovascular equipment you want to invest in and how much you have to spend. Check all options, you may have the budget for a treadmill but, if you are watching the pennies, a skipping rope can give you a great cardio workout as well. Combine it with jumping jacks and step ups and you have a great fat burning programme with just a rope and a step.
When choosing your resistance equipment, you have a choice of fixed or free weights. Fixed weights can be expensive and take up space, whereas free weights or kettle bells are great space savers and are just as effective. Lastly, gym balls and exercise mats are required for core training, stretching and floor work.
Space saver and budget buys for a complete workout include:
Heart rate monitor
Mat
Stability ball
Kettle bells or free weights
Rope, Step
The great outdoors (walking, jogging, cycling, swimming)
Alternatively, you could go to a class to keep your programme varied. There is so much variety and classes are time effective (usually between 30-60min). As you know when they start, and finish, you can plan around this. Most Leisure centres offer Step/Aerobics, Aqua Aerobics, Bums and Tums, Spinning, Kettle Bells, Boot Camp, Circuit Training Salsa, Yoga and Pilates - the list goes on. There is so much choice you need never get bored. You might even enjoy it, remember exercise can be fun!
7. Don’t be too hard on yourself
Never say never and don’t be too hard on yourself if you have a slip up or miss a training session. It doesn’t matter as long as you get over it and move on. You’re only human, keep your goals focused firmly in your mind and keep to your training plan. It doesn’t have to be gruelling, it just has to fit into your lifestyle along with everything else. Make sure it suits you and don’t do things you don’t like doing, even if it’s what everyone else is doing. Don’t be afraid to ditch the gym for a jog, ditch the rower for the treadmill or ditch the pool for a walk. Whatever your likes and dislikes, make it work for you as you are the one that counts. Don’t make goals to please anyone but yourself and be the person you want to be.
Be as good as you can be and have fun!
