In the beginning of 2012 chances are you said this was the year you were going to finally reach all of your fitness goals. We’ll there is no reason that you can’t keep this promise! For tips, tricks and motivation to Keep Going, check out this 5 part series.
PART 5 – Recharge Your Cardio
Chances are you’re routine has gone one of two ways since you first made your plan. Either you’ve found a routine that you like and you are sticking to it faithfully, or your board and have fallen from the program. Either way, I’m thinking maybe its the time of year to add some zip to your routine and fire things up again! After all spring is on it’s way!
Keep your routine and Keep Going towards your goals. Here are some small changes to your current cardio routine that will have you seeing big changes to your body!
Treadmill – Are you channel surfing? Are you able to have a full conversation with your cardio buddy? Are you barely glistening when you should be dripping sweat?
Cut out the bounce- vertical movement is wasted energy. Keep the movement in a forward motion by turning up the incline. This forces your glutes and hamstrings to fire and also helps you to burn more calories.
Squeeze your glutes – mind the muscle and make it work. Feel the entire movement and be conscious of the muscles you are using.
Increase the Incline – and DON’T HOLD ON! I used to run/sprint on the treadmill but found that it was taking a toll on my joints. As a fantastic (and even better) substitute I now walk on a super high incline. Try anywhere from 3.2 – 4.0 speed, and 10-15% incline. By doing this you will crank up my heart rate, burn crazy calories and also get a great leg workout at the same time! Remember the key is to not hold on.
Elliptical – I know, I know, the girl next to you is going super fast and bouncing around like crazy. Well take note of the points below and have a little chuckle to yourself next time, because with these tips you’ll know who’s getting the better workout.
Turn up the Tension – and make your muscles work! You should feel the resistance in your stride and handle bars. Try to imagine yourself running through mud. The higher the tension the more your muscles are working and the more calories you are burning.
Use your whole body – by alternating between using your upper and lower body to drive the movement. Try doing two minutes with your lower body then one with your upper body. If the machine has arm levers then use your arms to power the upper body motion. If the machine only has arm handle bars then put your arms in an athletic position (arms bent and close to your sides) and pump then back and forth using your core to drive the movement.
Interval training – yes it can be done on the elliptical. LOL. You can vary the tension, incline, upper or lower body activity, forward, backward, heart rate monitoring, etc. Whatever you are doing to change up your intervals it help you keep your mind on the exercise instead of gazing off into the obis and barely breaking a sweat.
Bike – just because your sitting does not mean you get to be on cruise control. No coasting people! Kick it up and get your sweat on.
Crank it up- there is a resistance knob on there for a reason! Imagine yourself going up a hill or slogging through mud. The higher you turn it the more of a leg workout you get and the higher your heart rate will climb.
Pick up the Speed – and be conscious of how many RPM you are doing. Keep it between 80-110 RPM. If you are going higher than 110 RPM you need to turn up the tension. Whatever the number is keep it consistent and be aware of your energy exertion.
Change it up – and keep it interesting. Try alternating between standing and sitting. Or going from fast and light tension to slower and high tension.
Stair Stepper – This machine is my personal favorite! Sadly I see so many people not using this machine to its full potential and “cheating” themselves.
Stand Up Straight – and use the rails for balance only! Don’t rest your body on the handle rails or use them to pull yourself up. Raise your chest and pretend like you are holding something between your shoulder blades. Do these two things and you will activate your core and back muscles, and get a full body workout.
Tuck your Glutes – under your hips and step though your whole foot. This drives the movement from your core instead of just your legs.
Switch your Steps – change it up between single steps, double steps, side steps, speed, or add abduction movement of your leg. This will surprise your muscles, decrease “boredom” and increase the calorie burn.
Now in an ideal world we would buy everything organic, but realistically that food can be pretty expensive and not all of us can afford it. But we can save money and avoid the chemicals by being savy shoppers. We need to be strategic on which items we buy at the normal grocery store and which items we should buy organic.
