So Easy and Effective you have No Excuse Not to Write it Down
Writing things down in a journal is a very simple yet often neglected piece
of advice which is given by a variety of professionals ranging from personal
trainers to dieticians, doctors and psychologists.
Even if your brain was able to remember everything you have ever did, it is
not going to be confidently organized.
Logging your diet and training will help you recognize and avoid mistakes as
well as learn from your conscious and sub-conscious decisions.
Einstein once defined insanity as doing the same thing over and over again
and expecting different results. If you write things down you will far
less likely to make the same mistake twice.
Finding the best workout routine for you is all about the process of
elimination in which a workout/nutrition journal helps drastically by helping
you recognize the mistakes you have made and avoid them.
A common misconception is the belief that you make your gains while you work
out.
The thought that you lose 2 pounds of fat during a single workout sounds nice
but it is not true.
Your body changes while you work, sleep at night, and even when you watch TV
provided your supply your body with the stimulus of training and a proper
nutrition program.
Overtraining
is not a common problem but it does happen. Your body needs breaks
especially if you train hard for long periods of time. If you stick to
your workout program long enough religiously you will eventually need a break.
If you would consider yourself trained, meaning you have been involved in a
workout routine for weeks or months, it takes a little over a week for
detraining effects to take place.
I.e. you can take a week vacation with absolutely no exercise and not lose
any strength, endurance or stamina, provided you keep the caipirinhas
consumption at the minimum.
Just having a workout routine may be a difficult task in itself. Having
a successful workout routine may be another issue.
Your body does many things well and what it does very well is adapts to
stress. If you consistently perform the same activities at the same
intensities you are destined for plateau.
Make sure you keep the most important exercises in your workout routine as
well as the exercises you really enjoy doing, but it is fair game to change
everything else.
Change your sets, reps, rest in between sets, tempo and time you train and
exercise selection every so often so you will continue to get results and avoid
plateau.
There are "workouts" in every single fitness magazine and website which claim
to be "toning, muscle building, or fat burning.'
The question is for who? Were they designed for a 6'5" bodybuilder who
weighs 250 pounds? Were they designed for a 5'11" 98 pound supermodel?
It is anybody's guess who they were designed for but you know for a fact they
were not designed with you in mind.
The most important aspect of a successful workout routine is how well it fits
your current fitness level and goals.
A successful workout routine takes a progressive approach and is designed to
achieve your goal safely, efficiently and effectively.
You have 2 options. You can spend hours to study and learn the science
behind a great workout routine and go through weeks, months and years of trial
and error to find the right workout routine which will give you what you want.
Your second option is to seek professional help. You can head to your
local gym and consult with a personal trainer or you can look into a personal
workout plan from an online personal trainer.
If Your your Workout Routine was a Basketball Game, your Nutrition would be
Represented as your 4 Teammates
Do you think you could win the game without the the help of your 4 teammates?
What if your 4 teammates were even trying to help you lose?
If you have a bad diet, it will be analogous to your teammates working
against you.
This situation is very common with people who exercise. Even if you
have the greatest workout routine of all time, without proper nutrition you will
not get optimal results.
The importance of nutrition cannot be underestimated.
Proper nutrition goes hand in hand with a successful workout routine which
means with proper nutrition you will achieve your desired results in the shortest, safest amount of time.
Overtraining
is not a common problem but it does happen. Your body needs breaks
especially if you train hard for long periods of time. If you stick to
your workout program long enough religiously you will eventually need a break.
