One morning you woke up, took your shower and then took a look at yourself into the mirror and you didn't like much what you saw… Those six pack abs that just happened to be there in your teens are gone, and are replaced by a cute round belly… That’s it!! You said and rushed subscribing to the first local gym. You started to hit all the weights and machines at once hoping that the more exercise you were doing the sooner those abs were going to pop back again. After one month of though training you took a look again into the mirror and really not much has changed, so you just call it a quit. That is ring a bell? This is an example of the fitness experiences of millions of Americans. We want something and we want it now… Unluckily, achieving those “Baywatch” types of bodies requires extreme discipline, dedication and most important patience. We are constantly bombarded by those 6 minutes workout that promise you the moon, (actually I even saw an ad for a 2 minutes power workout that guaranteed a six pack in 10 days! Sure…)
The real deal is quite different, the saying “no pain no gain” is really appropriate when talking about fitness and peak condition.
Before jumping into an exercise a plan is strictly required. The plan needs to first establish our goals, time line, rest days and a good diet (yes, hitting burger king after the gym won’t really help your cause).
Our body is a machine that needs to be cared for and trained in all different aspects and angles. A good workout should include stretching (before and after), a weight lifting routine and of course an aerobic activity.
The time that you dedicate to your training also impact the overall outcome. I suggest starting with a minimum of 40 minutes sessions, alternating weights and aerobic days. When your body starts to adjust to your new life you can increase the length of the session to one hour or one hour and a half. No more than that! (I don’t want you to get bored).
Once again you need to eat right. Starving yourself won’t work because your metabolism will slow down and you will make its life much harder. Eat less but more often, let’s say five small meals a day and drink plenty of water. IMPORTANT: keep your diet balanced and varied and cut the junk food!
You can read more in the following sections some ideas of different types of exercise routines to target different muscle groups and how to complete a decent aerobic session.
