When we do have to spend

Yesterday I posted about how working out doesn’t have to cost a lot of money.  There are, however, some things where it is probably a good idea not to choose the cheapest or the free option.

 

First, anything that keeps us safe is worth spending the money on.  Buy the helmet.  Get the knee pads.  Wear the supportive shoes.  All of those things are much cheaper than visits to the emergency room.

 

Many gyms offer a free fitness evaluation and/or orientation session.  (I, too, offer assessment and the first workout free.)  It is a great idea for anyone new to exercise or anyone just getting back into the exercise habit.  However, none of us is going to learn everything we need to know to work out by ourselves in a single session.  Paying for a few personal training appointments can be a good investment because we learn a lot about form, about different workout approaches, and about what reasonable goals are for us.

 

After we’ve been working out a while, we can make better decisions about what equipment we might actually like to have.  I rode my inexpensive mountain bike around town for a long time, but as I got into better shape, I realized I wanted a real road bike to get to the next level.  Keeping an eye out at garage sales or searching the local Buy Nothing groups or shopping at used equipment stores can be a good way to get the stuff we want without spending way too much money.

 

One more pro tip:  spend money on stuff that can be used in lots of ways.  The infomercial gadget of the week may look spiffy, but a set of dumbbells is way more flexible and useful.

 

Go play.

Don't worry about the money

Last week, I discussed time as an obstacle for workouts.  Another of the most commonly cited reasons not to work out is money.  Here’s the thing:  while there are certainly lots of expensive ways to work out, there are also a lot of ways that are free or low-cost.

 

Cardio might be the easiest part of workouts to get for cheap.  We all own shoes anyway, so it doesn’t cost extra to put them on and go for a brisk walk or a jog or a run.  It might be nice to do our cardio in an air-conditioned gym, but it isn’t a requirement.  Outside workouts also have the bonus of fresh air, sunlight, and some contact with nature.

 

When it comes to resistance training, our bodies are pretty much all the gym we need.  My favorite exercise, the squat, works really well with just body weight.  (If you are looking for a body weight circuit, check back through my Monday workout posts; there are a bunch to choose from!).

 

Similarly, stretching and balance work don’t require any additional spending.   Sure, we can buy fancy straps if we want to, but we probably already own a belt that would work and I know we all have towels.  When we work on balance, it’s nice to have a sturdy chair nearby or a countertop, but again, we already have those.

 

The internet offers gazillions of workouts that we can use.  So does the library.  As I mentioned above, I post a workout right here every Monday for anyone who likes to use it.

 

We can do this.

Monday Workout: Change to Challenge

This week we’re adding a little more challenge to some exercises.  Our usual step-ups get some added weight from dumbbells.  Our single leg deadlift becomes harder when we have to balance and row at the same time.  Slowing down our pushups makes them a lot more difficult.  Of course, if these changes are not appropriate for your body, skip them!  Three rounds.

 

step up with dbs	30
1 leg deadlift row	20
slow pushups	10
woodchoppers	30
side lunges	20
Arnold press	10
plank jacks	30
renegade rows	20
star plank	10

 

Time Out

Finding time to work out is challenging, but here are three places you might be able to find some and one place we don’t want to look.

 

1.     Between the couch cushions.  Ok, not really, but couch time is one of the easiest places to repurpose time.  Do we really need to watch five episodes of that show?  Maybe we could cut it down to four and do a workout.

2.     Looking at you, Facebook/Insta/Whatever.  We all love to scroll, but maybe we should spend some time doing stuff we want to post?  Let’s show our friends that we’ve been to the gym.

3.     Coffee.  Not the drink, the activity.  Of course we need to catch up with our friends, but we don’t have to do it sitting down.  Meet up with buds for a walk or run or swim.  It’s a good-for-us kind of multitasking.

 

Here’s the place we don’t want to take the time from:  sleep.  We need it to be healthy, good humans.

Time IN Workouts

Yesterday I wrote about why working out is good time management.  Today I want to talk about time management within our workouts.

 

When we consider all the things we’re supposed to fit into our workouts, it can be overwhelming.  How are we supposed to get in cardio and weights and balance and flexibility and ever manage to leave the gym?

 

There are a couple of ways.  One is that we plan to do different things on different days.  Maybe we focus on cardio three days a week, weights on two, and flexibility and balance on one, leaving ourselves one rest day.  That’s a workable system, but I have one I like better.

 

The most efficient way to hit all our fitness needs is by circuit training.  By incorporating cardio intervals into a weight circuit that includes asymmetric exercises like single leg squats, we can get everything we need in about 45 minutes, leaving five to fifteen for stretching.  This is the principle behind the workouts I post every Monday.

 

The beauty of a circuit is that it is infinitely adaptable.  Those of us who need more balance work can do it.  Those of us who want to build endurance can choose to do more reps with lighter weights.  Cardio enthusiasts can add more intervals.  Best of all, the easily-bored can change it up as often as we like.

 

Go play.

Time for Workouts

One of the most commonly cited reasons people give for not working out is lack of time.  I get it.  We all have way too much to do and working out seems like one thing too many.

 

For most of us, it is worth finding the time to do it.  (Exceptions:  we are sick or in the middle of an emergency.)  It might feel like a paradox, but working out will actually give us more time. 

 

All right:  it doesn’t literally give us more time.  What working out does do is give us tools that help us use our time better.  One of the most important of those tools is additional energy.  As we build our fitness, our energy levels increase.  We find that we’re not as easily tired out.  For a lot of us, this translates into less time zoned-out on the couch, which is almost always a time-waster.

 

Another time-enhancing gift of working out is improved mood.  When we manage our stress and get those happy brain chemicals moving with our workouts, we don’t lose time because we have to cope with so many negative emotions.  Further, as we get stronger, we increase our sense of personal efficacy, so all those other things we have to do seem more manageable.

 

Give it a try.

Monday Workout: New Stuff!

I spent some of my time off reading (big surprise!) and learned some new exercises, so this workout has a bunch of new fun stuff in it!  Here’s how to do the new stuff:

 

Lateral bound:  It’s pretty much exactly what it sounds like.  We start standing with our feet together.  We leap to the right, landing on our right foot.  We bring our left foot over to meet the right.  Then we do the same thing to the left.

 

Kettle bell bottom up press:  Stand with feet about hip-distance apart.  Bend one arm so that the elbow is more or less at the side of the body and the hand is at shoulder height (in other words, in a position to do a single arm overhead press).  Instead of using a dumbbell, we use a kettle bell with the handle pointing down toward the floor and the ball of the kettle bell toward the sky.  It’s challenging!

 

Kettle bell hammer curl:  This works like a regular curl, except that again, we hold a kettle bell instead of a dumbbell.  As in a regular hammer curl, the palm faces toward the midline of the body, not toward the ceiling.

 

Skier jumps:  Begin in plank position.  Jump both feet together to the left and then to the right.

 

As usual, modify as needed.  I suggest three rounds, but you do you.

 

lateral bound	30
kb bottom up press	20
kb hammer curl	10
skier jumps	30
renegade rows	20
pushups	10
step or jump ups	30
1 leg squat	20
pretty princesses	10