(Hint: It isn’t just working out more!)
Do you believe that working out more means faster, better results? How is that working for you?
If it is, keep it going, but most times it produces a quick burnout followed by a long break from working out.
We recommend you start slow, like running a marathon, and finish strong. When you first begin your commitment or recommitment to your workout (and your body), start with looking at the commitments you already have. Some of them are essential, but some of them, like reading your favorite novel, can be done on the treadmill. Some of them can even be eliminated or delegated to someone else to allow space for your workouts in your week.
Then there is addressing the question of how much time to allocate. You don’t need to put in a tremendous amount of time to get results. Just 30 to 60 minutes a couple of times per week works. Then you can determine what workout needs are and how to make them time efficient and still get you the results you are after.
Fitness is always evolving the more we learn about what works and what doesn’t. Today, we know that intensity does matter and that an easy walk around the block for 30 minutes is something your body can adapt to very quickly and stop producing results for you. It then becomes a social time rather than exercise time.
Finding a new routine every four to six months will keep your body “confused,” and you will burn more calories and develop more positive adaptations to exercise that will move you forward toward a healthy, capable body. One session with a personal trainer four times per year is a very cost effective way to get new programs, keep getting results and make good use of the time you have committed to exercise.