A Better Plan for Your Resolution

I’m not a big believer in New Year’s Resolutions but it does seem like something resets in your head at the beginning of a new year.  SO many people try to improve their diet or workout more but then give up.  I read a statistic a while back that gyms book more people than they could ever accommodate if they ALL showed up to workout but so many buy the membership and don’t use it that it’s never a problem.  

I did a little research on what are the BEST exercises for people trying to get into better shape and perhaps lose some weight in the process.  I was surprised to learn that most don’t require gym equipment at all.  

Top of the list is jumping rope.  Seriously?  And the girl recommending this teaches a spinning class at a gym. 15 minutes of jumping rope does the job.  Sorry it’s not more elaborate but that does the trick.  

Next on the list was HIIT.  No, that’s not "hit" with a typo.  HIIT is an acronym for High Intensity Interval Training.  The good thing about HIIT is the EPOC.  Wait.  What?  EPOC is Excess Post Oxygen Consumption and that’s good because you keep burning calories after the exercising is over.  Just Google what the best HIIT routines are.  

Next best is low impact cardio.  How do you do that?  Again, you don’t need equipment.  Easy jogging (not crazy jogging).  Going easy for a longer period of time does more for you than running too fast and getting winded in no time.  Low impact cardio also includes walking, step classes and cycling. 

My friend’s doctor told him he had to lose weight or have diabetes.  Pretty simple to choose between the two.  For over a year he ate a bowl of Wendy’s chili and a side salad for lunch and he’d walk for an hour or two every night.  He lost more than 150 lbs.  Didn’t join a gym.  Didn’t eat kale.  And look where you LIVE!!!  There are cool hiking trails everywhere here.  Take a hike!!! 

Running is next on the recommended list.  The biggest mistake people make is doing too much, getting out of breath and quitting or pulling a muscle.  Even straining a knee.  Experts recommend starting with a SLOW quarter mile.  Once around the track at the high school or once around the block where you live and purposely GO SLOW.  After a week, slightly increase the speed just so it’s less boring.  In no time, you’ll be running (jogging) a mile and then two but do that slowly.  

Next on the list is “Mountain Climbers”.   Yes we have mountains all around us but no, you’re not going to climb them.  Get down on all 4s and bring your knees up under you one at a time in sort of a jogging motion.  That’s a mountain climber.  Awkward at first but you’ll love what they do for you.  

The others that come highly recommended are pushups and side planks (yes, it’s like a plank but on your side).  

Hold it for as long as you can, do that for a month and look in the mirror and you’ll love the way your abs and sides look.  Squats are good too.  No, you don’t need weights or a squat rack.  Your own weight is all you need.  To start, just do 3 sets of 12.  That’s all.  After a week, move up to 5 sets of 20.  

One of my wife’s trainers was a bodybuilder who told me “abs are all about diet”.  If you are trying to lose a gut, it’s simple.  Less food (mostly less BAD food) going into your pie hole makes all of the difference. 

Some experts recommend inviting a friend to workout with you but I’ve always been a fan of turning on some music and working out on my own. 

Good luck with your workout in 2023.  Start easy so you’ll stick to it.  Resolutions fail before we even get to February but this stuff that experts recommend seem to be a plan people stick with for long enough to see the benefits.  And when the benefits show up, it’s easier to stick with it for good.