Consistency

Ever joined the gym and went once or twice? Ever rode a bike and lost your balance right away, hesitant to try it again? How about driving a car, only to fail the proper stopping and acceleration applications. Well consistency is a vital component to exercise. It is work, but it doesn't have to be.

We all do well with what were comfortable with and it 'becomes easy' to do because we're consistent with it. Driving the car (because we want to) is the best way to become better at driving. It doesn't guarantee success all the time but we still make the conscious effort to drive free of error. Riding a bike is a childhood desire, even though we fell off lots of times it did not prevent us from trying again (especially since other kids were riding), it looked fun. But the gym, well, that's another area. We sign up with the best intentions but never seem to make it there consistently. The gym is not going anywhere and you may not have to either.

If your home is your comfort zone and time/convenience are luxuries you cannot afford to loose, than a home-gym routine may be what you need. Just be consistent!

We get better the longer we work at improving ourselves. I'm not trying to sound like a guru of fitness but it is a fact of life. Everyday should be a fitness and spiritual opportunity if you make it one. Don't settle for 'here and there' moments. Ask yourself 'how can I treat my body and spirit right today' and follow thru. Stay with it, though the reward may not add years to your life but in-turn may add life to your years and those around you.

Weights vs. Duration

Let's call this section Weights vs. Duration. Some people have the tendency to pick up heavy weights to increase muscle strength but the potential downside is that it also increases bulk muscle mass. Thus, more weights equals more mass of muscle build up. If you want to increase strength without adding bulk muscle (ie. for toning or sculpting) use LESS weights and focus more on duration. In fact, consider cutting back on sets of reps and focus more on duration with less weight (reps tend to limit you to a fixed amount of exercise). For example, lifting 1.5 liter water bottles (biceps curling) for the duration of your favorite song, without stopping, generates more lean muscle burn than a fixed amount of sets/reps. Alternating leg lifts for 1 or 2 songs without stopping provides overall more effective toning in the long run. Traditional heavy weights or weight machines may be counter-productive leaning out the muscle. Plus, with reps we have a tendency to count and when we reach our "magic number", we tell our bodies that we 'cant' do anymore. On the contrary with duration, its not the count that we focus on but the length of time. You'll be surprised how much more you do in a single song.

Hope this helps. Now, turn on the music and let's get started...