How do you stick to your plan?\u00a0We asked a number of certified trainers for some strategies they give their clients to help them sidestep the annoying obstacles life tosses their way. See what they have to say and adopt some of these strategies for yourself.<\/p>\n
No need to apologize \u2014 it\u2019s the reality of balancing a career, a family and a social life. But when late nights at the office lead to skipped workouts, those goals you were so gung-ho about can slip from the spotlight faster than an American Idol winner.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere are always going to be work or family obligations that get in the way of giving ourselves enough attention, so start thinking of your workouts as \u2018me\u2019 time,\u201d says Zayna Gold, founder and co-owner of Boston Body Pilates.<\/p>\n
The best strategy to fitting in this \u201cme\u201d time is getting up an hour earlier. Gold admits this may sound daunting, especially if you already rise early or aren\u2019t a morning person. \u201cBut being up and extra hour or two before the rest of your household will not only give you time for your workout, it\u2019ll also give you time to yourself before the obligations start,\u201d she says. \u201cThat time provides a sense of well-being, accomplishment and positive energy throughout your day.\u201d<\/p>\n
Do you skip breakfast? Do you subsist on sugary snacks? Do you go all day without a meal and then eat a large dinner? If so, then your diet could be to blame for your fatigue, says Dallas-based health, wellness and lifestyle coach Kim Truman.<\/p>\n
Sustain your energy all day by eating breakfast, and have a lunch and dinner that are rich in lean protein and complex carbohydrates. \u201cIt\u2019s also important to keep your blood sugar level throughout the day be eating every two to three hours,\u201d Truman says. Between meals have a healthy snack such as carrots with hummus or a protein shake and a piece of fruit.<\/p>\n
If you aren\u2019t sensitive to caffeine, you also may want to drink a cup of coffee before you work out. \u201cStudies have shown caffeine blocks adenosine receptors, which can make you feel drowsy, and can boost your exercise endurance,\u201d Truman says.<\/p>\n
Sometimes your exhaustion is mental, however. But this is where exercise can help: Getting out and moving around can literally change your mood by releasing serotonin and other \u201cfeel-good\u201d brain chemicals. Talk yourself into moving for 15 minutes. Once those chemicals kick in, you\u2019ll get that needed mental boost that\u2019ll power you through your workouts and the rest of your day.<\/p>\n
Sprains, strains, contusions and breaks are the risk you run when you\u2019re very active. Besides the ignominy of hopping around for weeks in a cast, injuries can prove a serious setback to your get-fit goals mentally as well as physically.<\/p>\n
If you\u2019re on a doctor-ordered regimen of rest and recovery, all is not lost, says fitness instructor Patricia Friberg. \u201cFocus your energy on eating a clean, healthy diet, start a food log and even consult with a nutritionist, she suggests.<\/p>\n
For injuries that don\u2019t require rest, quiz your doctor about what movements you can and cannot do. \u201cThe more knowledge you have about the injury, the more creative you can be in designing a new workout plan,\u201d Friberg says. \u201cFor instance, if you love running but have to stop while you heal, try cycling, Pilates or yoga. This way, you can still burn calories and build strength while healing.\u201d<\/p>\n
Being able to stay active in some capacity will work wonders for your mental state. Remind yourself that you\u2019ve only got a finite healing time and that before long you\u2019ll be back to kicking butt with the best of them.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
How do you stick to your plan?\u00a0We asked a number of certified trainers for some strategies they give their clients to help them sidestep the annoying obstacles life tosses their way. See what they have to say and adopt some of these strategies for yourself. Obstacle: You\u2019re Busy No need to apologize \u2014 it\u2019s the reality of balancing a career, a family and a social life. But when late nights at the office lead to skipped workouts, those goals you were so gung-ho about can slip from the spotlight faster than an American Idol winner. \u201cThere are always going to […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2619,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[114,204,205,206,203,207],"class_list":["post-2617","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-womens-health","tag-healthy-living","tag-mind-and-body","tag-motivation","tag-style-and-beauty","tag-womens-fitness-personalities","tag-womens-health","post--single"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/high-end-life.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2617","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/high-end-life.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/high-end-life.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/high-end-life.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/high-end-life.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2617"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/high-end-life.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2617\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2950,"href":"https:\/\/high-end-life.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2617\/revisions\/2950"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/high-end-life.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/2619"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/high-end-life.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2617"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/high-end-life.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2617"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/high-end-life.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2617"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}