I am probably your biggest advocate/cheerleader for mixing it up, keeping it fresh, and trying new ways to get fit and create your ideal body. I honestly believe you should try it all until you find what works for you (makes you sweat and gets you results) and then do it again. Yes, you should always have that staple workout that is 'YOU' in every sense of the word but to create and maintain a well balanced physique you must constantly be adding new stuff into your personal fitness program...
By now you realize you need 1. Cardio, 2. resistance training and proper 3. nutrition to sculpt and hold onto that lean, mean muscle but all three of these things come in MANY different forms! You must work to create your ideal cocktail, combining and mixing up new and old methods, so therein creating your ideal body (mine is lean and muscular with a nice booty but yours may me lithe or big n' bulky, who knows??!?) the point is we most certainly don't agree on what a perfect body is so who is to say "this workout is far superior to that workout"? What works, works (for you) and what doesn't, doesn't! This seems self explanatory but I see people doing the same stuff over and over again and expecting different results...(btw - this is LITERALLY the definition of insanity... just sayen')
Just because Cheryl is lean & toned and does Pole Aerobics 4x a week DOES NOT mean this same plan will work for you!
When it comes to cardio I hate machines and would prefer to hit a bag any day of the week. However you better believe when I have a goal in mind I'll run outdoors (ugh), climb the revolving stairs (double ugh) or spin (has it been an hour yet?) as many times as I need to to get cardio in. I mix it up not only to keep my body guessing and my mind sane but factors such as time, convenience and motivation all come into play when planning and executing your workout. I know as long as I'm challenging my body - I'm 'doin' my body good!' I enjoy high impact and/or activities in general that keep me huffing and puffing but for most people this is simply not for them and this is ok (AS LONG AS THEY ARE CHALLENGING THEIR BODIES and are doing things that are getting them results).
It's taken me a little while to figure out what works for me because I am not lying when I say I've tried it all! I played sports (pathetically) in my younger days but sadly I was not very competitive (hence the attraction of being an actor in an ensemble) so sports and fitness never married in my world. (In fact I did not consider myself an athlete until adulthood where I was doing branding for LuluLemon and graciously learned that all who are active and working up a sweat on the regular are athletes! duh. Woot! Woot!). I worked my butt off to make it onto my colleges Cheer leading Squad only to sustain some pretty odd injurys that still haunt me. Later on I tried distance running but never saw the changes in my body (and also hated that I hated running - who are these people that LOVE running?). I've even done Jazzercise (which, at the time was declared the best possible thing you could do for your body, ever) but still never found my niche... or my ideal body! Even later in life when I religiously began doing & studying Ashtanga Yoga (90 minute classes 5x a week) that it dawned on me how different all of our bodies truly are and what it takes for someone else to get a killer 6-pack (girl in the booty-shorts on the mat next to me for 3 years, I'm talking to you) might not work for me EVEN IF I DO THE EXACT SAME THING! I then (and this is the long story/education/certification/journey short) began experimenting with food along with different boot camp-style workouts, lifting weights, etc until I found what really gave me the results and physical attributes I was craving.
You have the formula! You have the answer right here:
CARDIO + RESISTANCE TRAINING + NUTRITION = Your Perfect 10 Body but now you must figure out exactly what those pieces look like for you... what will Motivate/intrigue/and inspire you to keep coming back for more? What can you relate to? What do you find appealing? What kind of body do you want and what kind of movements will it take to get there?!? In case you haven't figure it out yet, this specific blog post is about is YOU GETTING EDUCATED: about you, what makes you tick, what holds you back, about specific workouts and nutrients!
Keep doing the work in and out of the gym to become your best self! Work with people you respect and/or want to look 'like' or who will create a specific program that will do the work for you (Our 'Warriorcamp' works in different phasing - fat burning/strength & gains, cutting, and recovery, depending on who is enrolled in camp at the time, their specific strengths and weaknesses). Read books and scientific journals! Fee your brain as well as your muscles because YOU ARE WORTH IT! If you can't afford a trainer or a fancy gym membership you have plenty of other options and they all start with you simply taking the first step and not looking back!
In a way, it sucks that we are all so different and must take time to figure out what will work best for our specific needs, bad knees and all! BUT I say better to realize this and digest it then putting your energy into hating yourself for not getting "The Yoga Body" OR "The Crossfit Body" OR "The Kettelbell Body" OR "The Ballet Body" Even after you have religiously participated in these activities umpteen times a week for months!
Be mindful that most of these workout styles/programs/what-have-you are marketed to you just like any other product (coke, Pepsi, Tylenol, Nike)! Attractive people with attractive bodies coaxing you to drink the kool-Aid! Most people who are doing these activities and who are helping spread the word or who are addicted to the latest craze have conditioned their bodies with another workout-style they latched onto before (and thru changing it up have sculpted the bodies you see and covet now)! Most people with those rockin' bodies are participating in those activities but it is not the only thing they do or will do for the rest of their lives! These hotties have a foundation to keep building those rockin' bodies on. It didn't happen overnight or because they suddenly started doing mat-Pilates or bought "Julianne Hough: Salsa" (See: "Rome wasn't built in a Day"). Even smart business people in your community will give free memberships and/or endorsements and/or kickbacks to fit people (trainers, etc) who help spread the word and participate in their specific gym or program... it's all marketing. It does not mean that their product or fitness program doesn't work, in fact in could be flippin' AWESOME, all I'm saying is be aware and don't beat yourself up if it's not working for you.
The bottom-line: Your workout should be rewarding and if those rewards aren't being manifested directly in your body (strength gains, fat-loss, sculpting, flexibility, etc) it sure as hell better give you the feel good buzz of your life and/or reduce some stress (see: Zumba ;).
Keep sweatin'! I believe in you!
xoxo
T
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