Exercise for Transformation

Transform: change the form of (Old French), change in shape, metamorphose, to form, undergo a change from (Latin).

Not seeing what you expected?

This picture is worth a laugh, but the reality is that you have looked in the mirror and wished you could magically change something about your body.  But what if part of the transformation isn't as much about your body as it is your mental point of view? Each time your trainers look in the mirror one of them gives her butt the evil eye as if it will suddenly be scared into a transformation of perfection, and the other gives her gut the look that should make it shrink to perfection.  But alas, neither happens. Anyone else looks at what we see as obvious problems and laughs at how ridiculous we are being. The point is that you can work really hard and you will see good results from consistent and effective workouts, but be honest with yourself, you will not be perfect. So stop sweating perfection! Whew! Now you know you are not going to be perfect.  Sorry to burst your bubble but we survived and so will you. Lol.

 Here is the mental part.  Find a noble motivation that comes from deep inside. This motivation is very personal.  It is your driver. Maybe it is to have quality of life as you age so that you can enjoy the lives of your children and grandchildren. Maybe it is quality of life that keeps heart disease and cancers to a minimum. Maybe it is the thought of someone you know and love, or even someone you don't know, having to bathe you, feed you and so on. Maybe it is the desire to maximize your full potential and enjoy doing sports or other outdoor activities. Whatever it is, make it your primary driver. Secondary drivers are helpful in keeping us working toward what we want to see, but are more shallow, and perhaps even vain.  I want to fit into my prom tux/dress for my 20th or 40th reunion. Sorry, couldn't resist. Secondary drivers can also be the thing that you bring to the fore of your thoughts when you are in the middle of what seems like 1000 push ups in 40 seconds. These are more like mantras. Drive, drive, drive. Push, push, push. I am strong. I am a warrior. This is easy. Almost there. Push hard, push harder, push harder.  5 seconds!!! I made it! These mantras or words have your complete focus so when your non-exercising trainer is saying 'you are almost there, give it all you got', you don't hear a word! Now that is motivation!

Now that you have figured out what you are working toward, let's see why High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) is one of the best types of training to get you there.  HIIT is a broad term that covers many types of workouts that are hard and fast with significant calorie after-burn. This type of training, when combined with walking on off days and eating a balanced, healthy diet, is highly effective. The training you do with SMART Fitness is high intensity training. Most of our workouts combine cardio intervals with weights.  For you to get the most out of it you need to push as hard as you can.  Each exercise should be an all out 100% effort that requires you to take a self imposed rest. The rest periods last as long as it takes for you to resume working at a high intensity.  It may be a few seconds or a few minutes.

Unlike some other types of training, the two rules that we never want you to break in order to maintain intensity of training are safety and form.  NUMBER ONE!  Listen to your body and if something hurts in a bad way, stop!  "Hurts in a bad way" means joint pain or any pain other than muscle burn and lungs on fire.   Rule number two is to rest when you cannot maintain good form. If you look like a drunken sailor trying to lift dumbbells then you need to rest.

That really hard push (and we mean 100%, not the 'hard push' where you pace yourself) causes a hormonal trigger of responses in your body that turn your body into a turbo charging, calorie burning machine. If you baby yourself in this training...your results will be limited. Initially you will see some strength gains and cardio improvements but then you will tend to plateau. As you become more fit you have to continue to up your personal challenge. If it doesn't challenge you, it won't change you.

With that said, there are circumstances where fitness is more about maintenance than significant changes. We also see and know that many of you have reached a body weight and composition that is healthy and you are satisfied with where you are.  Perhaps your goal now is as simple as "just keep on doing because it's working".  And while we know that physically that is a great place to be, sometimes mentally it can be more challenging to hold onto the motivation to just keep on doin'.  Remember the "personal" in our trainings.  All of our trainings are easily modified or progressed according to your needs and we can help you fine tune your fitness program.

This is an opportunity for you to evaluate where you are with this training. Whether you are new or have been doing it for several years, make sure you are on the right track with it. Are you  pushing yourself or have you gotten in a rut? By exercising you are doing the right thing. This blog only touches the tip of the iceberg so if we can assist you in some way, or you have questions please don't hesitate to ask us. Keep moving forward and smile!

-Your Personal Trainers