one plus one equals four
Working hard at the gym, but not seeing the results you want? Watching what you eat, but the pounds just aren’t coming off? It is very common to focus on one area of fitness – getting to the gym regularly, keeping a food journal – while ignoring the others. But the beauty of a comprehensive fitness plan, which focuses on nutrition, weight training, cardiovascular activity, and flexibility training, is that each element helps the other, and the results are exponential. In plain terms, this means that weight (resistance) training not only increases your metabolism and burns more calories at rest, but it also gives you the strength to sustain cardiovascular activities like running or bicycling. In turn, eating a balanced diet of only nutrient-rich foods and avoiding processed, empty-calorie foods helps you sleep better at night and gives you more energy for exercise.
This week, look closely at your lifestyle and identify that one element of fitness (diet, weight training, cardio, stretching) that has gone by the wayside perhaps, and give it a little extra attention. If you have been good about meeting your trainer but haven’t been doing cardio on your own, let this be the week you stay committed to your daily walk/run/bicycle/swim. If you have been cheating lately with foods you know aren’t good for you, pick up the food journal again and dedicate yourself this week to eating balanced, nutrient-rich meals and snacks.
When you shift all the areas of your life work towards better fitness, they work together, and the results you seek will come faster and last a lifetime!