Top 42 Exercise Hacks

You've read and enjoyed the Top 20 Motivation Hacks and Top 10 Productivity Hacks and the Top 15 Diet Hacks… and now you've asked for exercise hacks. You want 'em, you got 'em.

These hacks will make you healthier, slimmer, and yes, sexier. Rrrowrr!

Just to note, I'm not a certified trainer. I'm just sharing stuff that's worked for me. Also, some of this stuff is contradictory. That's because you're not supposed to implement all of them — just pick the ones you think will work for you, and give them a try. Good luck!

Top 42 Exercise Hacks

1. Start slow. The biggest mistake that people make when starting an exercise plan is starting too fast or too hard. Trust me, I've done it many times. I've learned to take it easy, start as small as possible, and worry about endurance or intensity later. The key in the beginning is to make it enjoyable and accomplishable. That's probably not a word, but it should be. And it is now. Zen Habits are ones that are accomplishable.
2. Increase but gradually. After getting used to a certain level of exercise, you'll want to increase it. Don't just run two miles or walk 20 minutes three times a week for a year. Your body adjusts to the stress you're giving it, so you need to increase the level once you've adjusted. But do it gradually, and only every two weeks or so.
3. Crank it up. Once you've gotten used to exercise, you'll want to do some higher intensity ones for better fitness and fat-burning. For example, instead of running slowly and steadily, for a long time, try doing shorter bursts of fast running, with periods of rest in between. You can do this for any exercise. Higher intensity increases the calorie burn, and improves performance. But you can't do it as long, and you shouldn't do it every workout. Mix it in with endurance workouts.
4. Schedule workouts. Make appointments with yourself to workout, at a specific time and place, just as you would with any other appointment. And make it the most important appointment on your calendar — more important than a doctor's visit or even the manicurist.
5. Make it a habit. If you can do exercise at the same time, every single day for a month, you are more likely to make it a habit. Consistency makes habits more ingrained. Once it's a habit (and start easy in the beginning!), then you can step up the intensity a bit.
6. Forget about weight loss. Yeah, many of us would like to lose some weight. But if you're motivated solely by weight loss, exercise will be a tough proposition. The reason is that you might not lose weight right away. Oh, it'll come, if you can keep it up over time, but in the beginning you might be disappointed (especially if you haven't changed your eating habits). Just get into the habit of exercise, and worry about the weight later. First things first.
7. Forget the gym. The gym can be horribly convenient, but it can also be intimidating for beginners, and confusing if you don't know how to use the equipment. Sure, you can get a trainer to teach you, but if the cost or the confusion stops you from exercising … well, skip the gym and do it at home or at the park or somewhere less intimidating. You can do pushups and crunches and dumb bell exercises at home very easily, workout to a DVD, or go walking or jogging in your neighborhood. Cheap and simple is my motto.
8. Reward yourself. Self-explanatory, but rewards are best if they are frequent in the beginning. Be self-indulgent! Even sweets are good rewards — remember, get into the habit of exercise, and you can worry about weight loss later.
9. Do a 30-day Challenge. Challenge yourself, and see if you can rise to the occasion. Do it with a group or your significant other. Put in rewards. Tell everyone you're doing it. Motivate the hell out of yourself.
10. Join an online group. One of the best motivators is having to report successes and failures to a group of people. Check out some online groups (there are groups for every type of exercise), introduce yourself, see which ones you're comfortable with. Once you've gotten established (after a couple of days) see if you can post your results every day — you won't go wrong once you start doing that.
11. Post your results on your blog. There's nothing more motivating than positive public pressure (short of a gun to your head). Step it up by making a promise to your blog readers that you will commit to this goal for a month, and post your results every day. Even if your mom is your only blog reader, it'll really help.
12. Do a journal. If you don't post your results on your blog, write it in a journal, either online or on paper. However you set it up, make it a habit to post to your journal or log right away, as soon as you're done with your log. It will motivate you to see your progress over time, and it's a good way to see what you're doing right and what you're doing wrong.
13. Make it fun! Exercise doesn't have to be a chore. I love doing a morning run, with the sun coming up, the world so quiet, my mind left to its own devices. Enjoy yourself and you will actually look forward to your workouts.
14. Fuel up. If your workout is more than 30 minutes, you really should have some energy in you. You shouldn't work out on an empty stomach — but you also shouldn't eat right before you work out. Eat a banana or some peanut butter toast or a ClifBar an hour or two before your workout, and you're good to go.
15. Hydrate. Also an hour or two before you workout. Water is best. Use a sports drink during your workout (and after) only if you're going to go an hour or more. If you're going to do a tough workout, stay hydrated throughout the day. In fact, go ahead and do this whether you work out or not.
16. Get a workout buddy. Find someone at your level, and commit to working out a certain number of times a week together, at a certain time. This will make you more likely to keep that workout appointment, and workouts can be a lot of fun if you spend them chatting with your buddy. Just be sure to actually work out, and not just chat, Chatty McChatterson!
17. Get good clothes. Actually, you don't need anything fancy to get started. But once you do start working out, it's nice to get yourself some nice workout clothes, with breathable and comfortable fabrics, ones that look good on you. It's motivating, and pleasurable. Make it so.
18. Put a cover model on your fridge. Not literally, of course, as that may be illegal, but find a good magazine photo of a model with the body you want, and post it up somewhere visible. You may never look like that model (heck, that model probably never really looks like that), but it's motivating. Don't pick a model that's too good looking, or you may question your sexuality.
19. Change it up. Sure, walking or running every day can be a lot of fun. But getting some swimming or biking or strength workouts or aerobics or kickboxing into the mix can be a lot of fun, and can also help you get into better shape. They work out different muscles, and step up the metabolism. Variety is the spice of life and all that.
20. Do it early in the morning. My favorite time to work out is between 5:30 and 6:00 a.m. Plus, I know that if I work out at this time, nothing will get in the way of the workout later in the day. It's a beautiful time of day, not too hot, and there's nothing like showering and going to work knowing that I've put in a great exercise (and it allows me to feel superior and look down my nose at those lazy bums I work with).
21. Squeeze it in during lunch. OK, you're not a morning person. You're busy. You don't have time to work out. Well, suck it up, buster, and sacrifice your lunch hour to the gods of fitness. Bring your workout clothes, do a quickie nooner, and be back at work ready to tackle the afternoon.
22. First thing after work. None of those options work for you? Not a problem, my friend. Make it a daily appointment to work out as soon as you get off work. This will also motivate you to finish your work on time so you can get out on time for your workout. It's great to stop somewhere to do your workout before you even get home, because once you get home you'll probably want to relax on the couch, fall asleep at the kitchen table, or rush to the computer to read the latest Zen Habits post.
23. A little and often. You don't need to work out long, and you certainly don't need to be a weekend warrior. Just 20-30 minutes every day. Who doesn't have 20 minutes on their schedule. You? Well, scratch "Walker Texas Ranger rerun" off the schedule and make room for this instead.
24. Just lace up. Yeah, you're dreading the upcoming workout. But don't even think about it. Just lace up and head out the door. That's all. After that, let nature take its course. Just relax and do what comes naturally. Which is exercise.
25. Join a race. Signing up for a 5K or a triathlon are my favorite motivators. It really gets me to do my workouts because if I don't, I will look like a dork by collapsing 5 minutes after the starting gun goes off. But don't worry about how you look — just go and have fun at these races — everyone else is worrying about themselves too much to notice you.
26. Get good gear. As a reward, get yourself some nice little gadgets — a sports mp3 player, a Polar heart rate monitor, a pedometer, a scale, a bike computer, whatever. Something cool that will make you look forward to your workouts.
27. Forget about the gear. Having said that, you don't need any of that to actually work out. Just put on some cheap clothes and get out the door. Don't let your lack of gear stop you, and for criminy's sake, don't go and buy all the gear before you actually start working out.
28. The 10 percent rule. Don't increase your workout time or distance by more than 10 percent a week. This is a very conservative rule, and it can be broken by the best of the best, who know what they're doing, but for the rest of us, stick with this to prevent burnout or injury.
29. Rest. It's important. This is a commonly overlooked factor. If you don't give your body some rest, you will burn out and get injured. Rest is just as important as the workouts in improving performance and fitness. As long as you're doing the workouts too and not just the rest!
30. Hard, then easy. If you do a hard workout today, rest or go easy tomorrow. Don't do two hard workouts in a row. The hard-easy approach can also work within a workout itself — run hard, then run slow, then run hard … you get the idea. This allows you to burn more fat than if you just run medium the whole time.
31. Listen to your body. This is extremely important — if you feel like you're overdoing it, you probably are. Rest and allow your body to recover. And though you can run through some slight soreness or aches, you should stop as soon as you feel sharp pain or pain in the joints. You'll just make it worse.
32. Strength is good. If you're a walker or runner or cyclist or swimmer or something like that, you should also fit some strength training into your schedule. Nothing too intense, but just some core-strengthening exercises that will help your main sport as well as make you healthier and yes, more attractive.
33. Set goals. What are you trying to get out of your exercise? It's good to know if you're trying to build muscle or burn fat — because these are two competing goals. There are other goals, of course, but you should be clear what they are. Also, set goals for each week — what do you want to accomplish this week? Write it down, post it up, and see if you can meet them!
34. Take photos of yourself. Before and after photos. The best way to see your progress over time. But do it once a month, not every hour, you narcissist!
35. Workout first, diet later. If you're just starting a workout plan, it's best not to start a diet at the same time. Well, I don't like diets in the first place, but still — one thing at a time. I'd prefer the workout first, and then worry about the diet after about a month of working out. You didn't get fat overnight and you're not getting skinny overnight either!
36. Star chart. Yeah, you know what these are. But they're very motivating. Do a workout, put up a star. Fun!
37. Get a coach. You certainly don't need one, but there's nothing more motivating than a coach. Almost like a workout buddy, in that you are very likely to make the appointment, but less chatty and more knowledgeable. And if you're going to learn swimming, a coach is a must. Yes, you can get a coach — there are master's swimming classes at your local pool. Just sign up — they're usually not that expensive.
38. Join the club. In my area, there is a great running club and a great cycling federation and triathlon federation. All of them sponsor races and Sunday rides and things like that where you can workout with a group and talk to more knowledgeable people. Well worth the small membership fee!
39. No pain … that's good. Forget the old rule of "no pain, no gain". You don't need pain to get in shape. Just take it easy, progress gradually, and enjoy yourself.
40. Warm up. If you're going to do any kind of exercise, don't do it with your muscles cold. Gradually get your heart pumping and blood flowing. You're less likely to injure yourself, and your workout will be more enjoyable.
41. On stretching. Sure, flexibility is important. But stretching out cold is a good way to get injured. If you're going to stretch out before a workout, be sure to do so only after your warmup. Also, do not bounce. That's another good way to tear your muscles. Do slow stretches and hold them without bouncing. Best of all: stretch after a workout, when your muscles are nice and loose.
42. Go for the long haul. Most of all, don't think that you will become fit and healthy and sexy in one month. Think of exercise as a life-long habit, and your goals will come to you eventually. You'll get there, my friend!

20 Ways to Eliminate Stress From Your Life

You often see articles on ways to unwind and relax after a stressful day
<http://zenhabits.net/2007/04/12-ways-to-decompress-after-high-stress/>,
which I always find useful, but for me the most important advice would
be to get to the source of the problem, and cut stress out before it
even happens.

*By careful editing of your life, and changing certain habits, you can
eliminate most (not all) sources of stress in your life.*

I don't believe that a stress-free life is possible. Stress is a
response to challenges in life, and a life without challenges is too
boring to contemplate. However, I do believe that most of the stress in
our lives is unnecessary, and that it can be eliminated by taking some
simple (and some not-so-simple) steps. It can't be accomplished
overnight — I've been eliminating stressors in my life for awhile now,
and I'm still not done. But I think it's a worthwhile goal.

Let's first take a look at an example — it's a little extreme, but it
exemplifies the typical stressors in people's lives. Let's say Fred gets
up in the morning, waking up late, and now has to rush to get ready.
He's so rushed that he spills his coffee on his shirt and has to change,
a nicks himself shaving. He heads out the door and then has to go back
in the house because he forgot his wallet. He gets in the car and
realizes he forgot his keys.

Now he's on the way in to work and is in the middle of rush-hour traffic
— and his temper starts to flare after someone cuts him off. He's
honking at people, cursing, and arrives to work late and in a bad mood.
He snaps at someone and is surly all morning. His desk is covered in
piles of paper, and he can't find that report he needs to work on. His
inbox is overflowing and his email notification is going off, and he
sees he has 36 messages to respond to. He knows he's late on two
projects and his boss isn't happy. He's got to finish 5 tasks before the
11 a.m. meeting, and he's got meetings all afternoon.

You get the idea. His day does not go well, and he hits rush-hour
traffic on the way home. He gets home late, exhausted, completely
stressed, his mind still on his late and as-yet uncompleted projects,
his still-full inbox and email inbox, and all the stuff piling up that
he has to work on tomorrow. The house is a mess and he snaps at his
family. His kids have not put things away exactly where he told them to
put them away, so he begins to yell at them. He has a quick, greasy
dinner in front of the TV and zones out before falling asleep late.

Again, this is a bit extreme, but you can see through this illustration
some of the things that stress people out. There are many more, of
course, and I won't cover all of them here.

But these sources of stress can be eliminated with a little thought.
Here's how:

1. *Identify stressors*. This is the most important step of all, as
identifying the things that stress you out in your life is the
first step towards eliminating them. Take 10 minutes to think
about what stresses you out during the day. What weekly
occurrences stress you out? What people, activities, things cause
stress in your life? Make a Top 10 list, and see which of them can
be eliminated, and start to weed them out. For those that can't,
find ways to make them less stressful.
2. *Eliminate unnecessary commitments*. I did a post on editing your
commitments
<http://zenhabits.net/2007/02/edit-your-life-part-1-commitments/>
before … apply those concepts here. We all have many commitments
in our life, starting with work but also including commitments
related to kids, our spouses, things to do at home, other family,
civic, side work, religious, hobbies, online activities and more.
Consider each of them, the amount of stress they provide, and the
value you get out of them. Edit brutally, and take steps today to
remove the ones that stress you out the most.
3. *Procrastination*. We all do this, of course. But allowing stuff
to pile up will stress us out. Find ways to take care of stuff now
(form a Do It Now habit) and keep your inbox and desk clear. See
20 Procrastination Hacks
<http://www.scotthyoung.com/blog/2007/05/21/20-procrastination-hacks/>
for more ideas.
4. *Disorganization*. We're all disorganized to some extent. Even if
we've organized something, and created a great system for keeping
it that way, things tend to move towards chaos over time. But
disorganization stresses us out, in terms of visual clutter, and
in making it difficult to find stuff we need. Take time to get
things in your life organized, starting with your desk
<http://zenhabits.net/2007/01/steps-to-permanently-clear-desk/>
and the papers in your home
<http://zenhabits.net/2007/04/6-simple-steps-to-make-mail-paperwork-painless/>,
and moving on to other areas.
5. *Late*. Being late always stresses us out. We have to rush to get
ready, rush to get there, and stress out the whole time about
looking bad and being late. Learn the habit of being early, and
this stress disappears. Make a conscious effort to start getting
ready earlier, and to leave earlier. This also makes driving less
stressful. Time yourself to see how long it actually takes to get
ready, and how long it actually takes to get somewhere. You've
probably been underestimating these times. Once you know these
times, you can plan backwards so that you show up 10 minutes early
each time. It's a good feeling.
6. *Controlling*. We are not the Master of this Universe. I know we
sometimes wish we were, but acting as if we are is a sure way to
get stressed out. Trying to control situations and people cannot
work, and only serves to increase our anxiety when it doesn't
work. Learn to let go, and accept the way that other people do
things, and accept what happens in different situations. The only
thing you can control is yourself — work on that before you
consider trying to control the world. Also learn to separate
yourself from tasks and to delegate them. Learning to let go of
our need to control others and the situations around us is a major
step towards eliminating stress.
7. *Multitasking*. Having multiple tasks going on at the same time
might seem productive, but in actuality it slows us down from
actually focusing on a task and completing it — and it stresses us
out in the meantime. Learn to single-task
<http://zenhabits.net/2007/02/how-not-to-multitask-work-simpler-and/>.
8. *Eliminate energy drains*. If you've analyzed your life (in Step
1) and found things that stress you out, you might have also
noticed things that drain your energy. Certain things in our life
just cause us to be more exhausted than others, with less value.
Identify them, and cut them out. You'll have much more energy and
much less stress. Happiness ensues.
9. *Avoid difficult people*. You know who they are. If you take a
minute to think about it, you can identify all the people in your
life — bosses, coworkers, customers, friends, family, etc. — who
make your life more difficult. Now, you could confront them and do
battle with them, but that will most certainly be difficult. Just
cut them out of your life.
10. *Simplify life*. Simplifying, of course, is a major theme
<http://zenhabits.net/tags/simplicity/> of Zen Habits. Simplify
your routines, your commitments, your information intake, your
cluttered rooms, the mass of stuff going on in your life … and
have less stress as a result. Start with Edit Your Life
<http://zenhabits.net/tags/edit-your-life/> and then look through
the other simplicity articles <http://zenhabits.net/tags/simplicity/>.
11. *Unschedule*. Create more open periods of time in your life. It's
not necessary to schedule every minute of our lives. Learn to
avoid meetings
<http://www.lifehack.org/articles/productivity/kill-meetings-to-get-more-done.html>,
keep wide open blocks of time where we either work on our
important tasks or batch process the smaller ones. When someone
asks to schedule a meeting, first try to get it done through email
or phone … if that doesn't work, avoid having it scheduled. Ask
them to call you and see if you're free at that time. You will
love having an open schedule.
12. *Slow down*. Instead of rushing through life, learn to take things
slow <http://zenhabits.net/2007/05/slow-makes-sense/>. Enjoy your
food, enjoy the people around you, enjoy nature. This step alone
can save tons of stress.
13. *Help others*. It may sound contradictory to add more tasks to
your life by trying to help other people (you've got enough to
do), but if you were to add anything to your life, this should be
it. Helping others, whether volunteering for a charity
organization or just making an effort to be compassionate towards
people you meet, not only gives you a very good feeling, it
somehow lowers your stress level. Of course, this doesn't work if
you try to control others, or help others in a very rushed and
frenetic way — learn to take it easy, enjoy yourself, and let
things happen, as you work to make the lives of others better.
14. *Relax throughout the day*. It's important to take mini-breaks
during your work day. Stop what you're doing, massage your
shoulders and neck and head and hands and arms, get up and
stretch, walk around, drink some water. Go outside and appreciate
the fresh air and the beautiful sky. Talk to someone you like.
Life doesn't have to be all about productivity. You should also
avoid using online activity too much as your de-stressing activity
— get away from the computer to relax.
15. *Quit work*. This one's drastic, and probably too drastic for
most. But in most likelihood, your work is your absolute biggest
stressor. Getting out of your 9-to-5, automating your income
<http://zenhabits.net/2007/06/automate-your-income-to-simplify-your-life/>,
and finding something you truly love to do, that you're passionate
about, will create a positive life and much less stressful one at
that. Give it a little thought before dismissing it — there might
be possibilities here you haven't considered.
16. *Simplify your to-do list*. I've written about this before, but
attempting to do everything on your long to-do list will
definitely stress you out. Learn to simplify your to-do list down
to the few essential tasks
<http://zenhabits.net/2007/06/eliminate-all-but-the-absolute-essential-tasks/>,
and you will enjoy the process much more.
17. *Exercise.* This is common advice for stress relief, and that's
because it works … but it's also a stress prevention method.
Exercising helps relieve the stress buildup, it gives you some
quiet time to contemplate and relax, and just as importantly, it
makes you more fit. A fitter person is better equipped to handle
stress. Another important factor: being unhealthy can be a major
stressor (especially once you have to go to the hospital), and
exercise can help prevent that.*
*
18. *Eat healthy*. This goes hand-in-hand with exercise as a stress
prevention method, of course. Become healthier and a major source
of stress will disappear. Also, I've found that greasy food, for
me, puts me in a worse mood and can contribute to stress levels
immediately.
19. *Be grateful*. This might not be as obvious as some of the others,
but developing an attitude of gratitude (I sound like a preacher
with that rhyme!) is a way of thinking positive, eliminating
negative thinking from your life, and thereby reducing stress.
Learn to be grateful for what you have, for the people in your
life, and see it as a gift. With this sort of outlook on life,
stress will go down and happiness will go up. That's a winning
formula.
20. *Zen-like environment*. Take time to declutter your desk (as
mentioned above) and even once you do that, continually edit your
desk and working space, and the things in your home, until you've
created a simple, peaceful, Zen-like environment
<http://www.lifehack.org/articles/productivity/10-steps-to-a-zen-like-working-environment.html>.
It will be much less stressful to work in an environment like that
than a more cluttered and distracting one.

www.slim4u.blogspot.com

6 Tips for Commuting to Work by Bike

This morning, I rode my bike in to work (a distance of about 10 miles), and it felt great. It was the second time I’ve done that now — I also did it last week — and I hope to make it a more frequent thing.

My goal is to get some exercise (I’m training for a triathlon) while also helping the environment and saving money on gas. With the gas prices rising so much in the last few years, it’s frustrating to not be able to do anything about it — but now I am.

Although it’s a bit scary riding a bike in the middle of traffic, I have to say it was a great experience. Not only did I feel really good to get the exercise, but I had a great view of nature as I headed to work, and it was a lot more peaceful and relaxing than the regular commute by car. I hope to eventually build up my stamina so that I can ride my bike to and from work at least three or four times a week, or even five days a week, but for now I’m starting out slowly, as I’m new to cycling.

Tips for Commuting by Bike

• Plan ahead. One of the reasons people don’t commute by bike, even if they have a bike, is that they don’t want to be sweaty. I’m lucky, as my work just installed a new shower, but before that I planned to use the shower of an office next door, or use the shower at a nearby gym (even becoming a member at a gym is cheaper than gas). You’ll also need soap and deodorant and a towel and other toiletries. Then there’s the issue of how to get your clothes to work, which is my next tip.
• Drop your clothes to work ahead of time. You could pack them in a backpack, to wear on your back, but it gets your back sweaty. You could also put it in a pannier and carry it on a rack, which is a good option, but you might not want your clothes wrinkly for some reason. The solution I’ve been using (and it’s not an original idea) is to bring my clothes to work the day before. This also saves some extra pounds that I have to carry on my bike, which is an issue for a beginner like me. You could even bring in clothes for the rest of the week. Eventually, if I ride to work five days a week, I might have to drop a week’s worth of clothes sometime in the weekend.
• Any ol’ bike will do. You don’t need a fancy racing bike or touring bike or anything to commute. If you’ve got an old mountain bike, which I do, that’s good enough. You don’t need to spend a lot of money on a bike and gear to get started. Later, you can always spend more, a little at a time, but whatever you’ve got is good enough for now.
• Have a spare tube and tools, and know how to change a tire. You never know if you’ll get a flat, and you don’t want to be stuck walking your bike for several miles. A patch kit is good, but it’s even easier if you just have a spare tube, a pump, and the right tools so that you can quickly change the punctured tube for a new one, and patch the old one later at home.
• Be safe. This is a no brainer, but it is good to read up on tips on cycling safety (see links below) before heading out into dangerous traffic.
• It’s a blast! Cycling is a lot of fun, as I’ve discovered in recent weeks, and riding to work is much, much better than driving. Try it. You’ll love it.

As always, I’ve pulled a few links on commuting bike for y’all:

• Commute by Bike blog
• Paul Dorn’s Bike Commuting Tips
• Bicycle Commuting: The going-to-work workout
• City of Austin: Bicycle Commuting Tips
• Bike Commute Tips blog
• Josh’s Bike Progress
• It’s About the Bike
• Commute by Bike! Be a part of the solution.

16 Tips to Triple Your Workout Effectiveness

You don’t want to spend long hours at the gym, but you want to get stronger, fitter, leaner, and just plain look good. It’s possible that you’re not getting the most out of your workout time.

It’s possible to get a super-effective workout in 30 minutes, and only do a few workouts a week, if you maximize your workouts.

Disclaimer: First, I’m not a certified trainer. These are tips I’ve read elsewhere that work well for me. Second, you should always get a doctor’s approval of any new workout plan. This plan is especially intense, so if you have a heart condition or other condition that might be affected by heavy exercise, you should definitely refrain from trying it until you’ve gotten checked out by a doctor.

And even if you have gotten checked out, or even if you don’t bother doing so, it’s still important to start out an exercise program slowly, until your body has the chance to adjust, or you will face burnout or injury.

Don’t dive right into this program — it’s designed for people who have already been working out but want to see better results, quicker, and spend less time doing it. Here’s how to do it.

1. Limit your workouts to 30-40 minutes. Though the tendency of some people who really want to get a lot out of their workouts is to spend a lot of time at the gym, the truth is that after 30 or 40 minutes, the benefit isn’t as great. To go that long, you’d have to lower the intensity of the workout, and that means that you’re spending too much time working out. It’s better to work out at a higher intensity for a shorter amount of time.
2. High-intensity workouts. If you’re just starting out with exercise, it’s best to take it slow. If you’re running or cycling, for example, build up your endurance for at least a month before you get into anything more intense. That means going at a rate where you can easily talk without being out of breath. However, once you have that base of endurance, step up the intensity to step up the effectiveness of the workout.
3. Protein. Many people don’t pay enough attention to getting the protein their muscles need to rebuild. If you don’t, you are going to get very little out of your workout, as both cardio and strength workouts require protein for building muscles. I recommend either whey or soy protein shakes.
4. Water. Be sure to hydrate throughout the day. It takes a couple of hours for your body to absorb the water, so you can’t just drink right before exercise. Make it a habit to drink water regularly throughout the day.
5. Carbs. Although the low-carb craze might say otherwise, carbs are our body’s main source of fuel. If you do intense workouts, you will need carbs, or you won’t have enough energy. If you do a shake, be sure to include carbs — or a banana is a great source of low fiber/high glycemic carbohydrates that you need for exercise.
6. Shake before and after workout. It’s best to take a protein/carb shake just before your workout and then just after. Taking it before your workout increases the flow of amino acids to your muscles during training, giving them the building blocks they need. After the workout, the shake stimulates muscle growth. Also take a small protein/carb meal 60-90 minutes after a workout — a meal replacement bar would work fine.
7. Slow lifting. Many people contract their muscles slowly and then release more quickly. But if you lift slowly in both directions, you are maximizing each move. Lift and lower to a 5-second count in each direction.
8. Heavier weight. When you’re starting out, it’s best to start with lower weights so you can focus on good form. But once you’ve gotten your form down, it’s best to lift the heaviest weights you can lift while still keeping good form. Don’t sacrifice form for heavy weights — that is ineffective. But heavy weights, with good form, can give you better results in a shorter amount of time. Heavy weights are not just for those who want to bulk up — that’s a common misconception.
9. One set, to failure. Instead of doing 2-3 sets, as many people do, maximize your effectiveness by doing just one, with heavy weights, until you can no longer keep the proper form. Lifting to “failure” doesn’t mean that you should lift the last few times with a wobbly or inefficient form.
10. Compound exercises. Instead of isolating your muscles with exercises such as the bicep curl, you can maximize the time you spend in a workout by doing exercises that work out multiple muscle groups at once. With just a few exercises, you could get a full-body workout. Another benefit is that your muscles are working together as they do in the real world, rather than alone. Some great compound exercises include squats, deadlifts, good mornings, lunges, pushups, bench presses, military presses, rows, pullups, dips, and more.
11. Balance lifting. Instead of having exercises where you’re sitting down or holding on to something or otherwise stabilized, it’s more effective to do them standing up, or on one leg, or on a Swiss exercise ball. These types of exercises force you to balance yourself while lifting, which brings your core muscles into play. This gives you a stronger overall body and allows you to lift more over time.
12. Pick a cardio exercise you enjoy. It’s no fun to exercise if you hate it. And you won’t keep it up for very long. Pick something that’s fun — running, walking, swimming, biking, hiking, rowing, stairmaster, etc. After the initial phase when you’re getting used to exercise, you’ll start to have a blast and look forward to it.
13. Mix it up. Don’t stick to the same workout routine for too long, or your body will adjust to the stress level and you won’t be getting an effective workout. For strength training, change your routine every few weeks. For cardio, it’s best to cross train rather than, say, to run every time.
14. Good form. For strength training especially, and swimming, form is very important, but it’s also important for other types of exercise. If you’re strength training, start with lighter weights so you can work on your form. It’s good to have an experienced spotter or trainer who knows good form to help you for the first month or so. Never sacrifice form for heavier weight. For swimming, you’ll need to get a coach to teach you form.
15. Hills. If you run or bike or walk for cardio, you’ll want to incorporate hills (after the first month or two of doing it at an easy pace on flat ground). These will make you stronger and make your limited workout time even more effective. Take them easy at first, but once you’re used to hills, you can get a good pace going. Either use a hilly route or do repeats on one hill.
16. Circuits. One mistake that people make is to do multiple sets of the same exercise without rest between the sets. This doesn’t allow your muscles to recover and it’s a waste of your workout. But instead of doing a set, resting, and then doing your second set, it’s more effective to move on to multiple exercises in a circuit, so that you don’t rest between exercises but do rest each muscle group. This will give you a good cardio workout while you do your strength training.
    

The ideal workout plan
If you take all of these tips into account, the ideal plan would be to alternate 2-3 days of high-intensity strength training with 2-3 days of high-intensity cardio. You could get by with 4 days of exercise if you do them at high intensity.

The high-intensity strength training would be 30-40 minutes of circuit training, with no rest or little rest between exercises within a circuit, and a short rest between circuits if you do more than one. The circuit should work out your entire body, using compound exercises such as the squat, deadlift, pullups, good mornings, etc., and either standing or using a Swiss ball so that you are working out your core. You should use heavier weights, one set for each exercise, doing them slowly (5 second up, 5 seconds down), and to exhaustion, making sure to have good form on each exercise.

You would have a protein/carb shake before and after the workout, and a small meal of protein/carbs within 60-90 minutes of the workout. Water is also important for both types of workouts.

The high-intensity cardio would be something you enjoy doing. You would do interval training, at a rate where you couldn’t talk, with short rests in between intervals. On some workouts, you would incorporate hills.

Remember, these high-intensity workouts are not for people just starting out. You should build up an endurance base before doing the high-intensity cardio, and start the weights with lighter weights, stressing good form.

Zen To Slim: A Simple, 5-Step Weight Loss Plan

I think this one will be a bit controversial — weight loss theories seem to be a bit divisive, judging from past posts on this topics, as people have very strong opinions about the right way to lose weight.

However, this post isn’t going to explore any of those theories. It’s meant to be a simple plan for people who have trouble losing weight.

These people don’t need to go into the scientific theories, and they probably don’t want to count calories or do any kind of complicated calculations. They just want a few simple steps that they can do, right now, that will work.

When I started running last year, and eating healthier (eventually becoming a near-vegan), I lost more than 20 pounds and kept them off. This year, my workout plan has been disrupted a couple of times by illness and then a back injury, but in July I’ve gotten back on track and can already feel the changes. I am confident that I’ll have a fairly flat stomach by the end of the year, barring any future injuries or severe illnesses.

Anyway, I recently had a few readers ask me about my weight loss plan. Well, I don’t diet, and I don’t do anything too intense. I’ve just made some simple lifestyle changes, one at a time, and I feel much healthier as a result. The weight loss is slower than with some of the more drastic plans, but I feel that they’re more permanent, because I’m in this for life, not for short-term weight loss.

If this sounds right for you, check out the following plan. Of course, you all know that I’m not a doctor, a dietician, a certified personal trainer, or in any way qualified to give advice. You know that you should see a doctor before starting a plan like this, to prevent any serious health consequences. However, this plan is based on the advice of experts much more knowledgeable than me, and I can testify that it works — for me, and for others I know who’ve done similar things.

There is nothing revolutionary in this plan. It’s common-sense, and simple:

Zen To Slim Weight Loss Plan

Step 1: Begin gradual exercise. Instead of trying to change your entire life with an intense weight loss plan, we’re going to start small. All you want to do is make a commitment to get yourself moving for at least 10 or 15 minutes each day for 30 days straight.

Some key points:

• Type of exercise. If you’re already a runner or a cyclist or something similar, then begin a very, very modest program of resuming that exercise. Otherwise, walking, a treadmill, hiking, a cycling machine, rowing, or something similar would work. Mixing it up is a great idea, alternating different exercises on different days. The actual exercise you do doesn’t matter, as long as you get moving.
• Most important here: start out really easy. People tend to start out with a lot of enthusiasm, and then burn out, skip a workout or two, and then the plan has failed. In this plan, you want to go short and slow. If you normally run 3-4 miles, for example, just run 1-2 miles. Go for about half of what you think you can do. You can always add more later.
• It’s important that you try to do it every day. Mark your successes on your calendar — gold stars always work well — and try to keep the marks going every day. If you can do short, easy workouts, and mix up the exercises a little, you can do it every day.
• Set aside some time to do this every day. If you’ve had success working out in the morning before, use that time. Otherwise, do it right after work.
• Strength. Another point is that you can do strength workouts, but don’t do anything too hard in the first couple of weeks. Just some pushups, crunches, lunges, squats, with no weights. That might sound easy to some of you, but the key, again, is to start out slow.
• Just start. Last key point: if you are feeling resistance to exercising, just tell yourself that you have to lace up your shoes and get out the door. How long you do it doesn’t matter — even 5 minutes is good. I bet, though, that once you start, you’ll want to keep going for at least 15 minutes.

Step 2: Replace fatty and greasy foods with healthier foods. You’re not going to go on a diet. But take a look at what you eat, and try to slowly replace the greasier and fattier foods you eat (think: fast food, or fried food) with healthier alternatives.

Some key points for this step:

• Examples: if you cook fried chicken, try baked instead. If you eat burgers, try a veggie burger or a low-fat turkey sandwich. If you eat pizza, try making your own pizza, with a store-bought crust, pizza sauce, veggies, and olive oil, with no cheese. You get the idea.
• Gradual change: Now, you don’t need to change all these foods overnight. But after you do the 30-day exercise challenge in Step 1, do a second 30-day challenge where you replace one fatty food a day with a healthier alternative. Slowly, replace more and more fatty foods with healthier ones. You’ll get used to it over the course of a month.
• Exercise: Also continue the daily exercise in the second month, increasing the duration of your workouts a little at a time if you can.

Step 3: Eat smaller meals, more frequently. Once you start getting used to less fatty foods, try eating smaller portions, and eating 5-6 times per day instead of just 3 big meals.

Some key points:

• The 5-6 meals: A good schedule is to eat breakfast, then a mid-morning snack, then a small early lunch, then a second small lunch a couple of hours later, then a small late-afternoon snack, then a small, light dinner. If that’s too much, just try adding a mid-morning and mid-afternoon snack, and make the main three meals smaller.
• Snacks: Make sure that your snacks are healthy ones. Good ones include fruits, nuts, low-fat pretzels, low-fat cheese, low-fat yogurt, cut up veggies.
• Wait: For your meals, try eating just one moderate-size serving. If you feel like a second serving, wait 20 minutes, then see if you’re full. It’s important that you gradually reduce your portions, and learn to eat only until you’re satiated, not until you’re bursting.

Step 4: Intensify exercise slowly. Once you’ve gone a month or so doing very short and easy workouts each day, and your body is used to daily exercise, you can gradually intensify the exercise.

Some points:

• Duration: The first thing you should increase is the duration of your workouts. Without working out any harder, keeping the low intensity of your previous workouts, just add 5 minutes to your workout. Stick to this new duration for 2-3 workouts, then add another 5 minutes. Your goal is to get to about 40-45 minutes (although eventually doing an hour once a week is good too).
• Intensity: After your body gets used to going for longer, once a week or so, try a slightly more intense workout. First, make the duration of the workout much shorter for this intense workout. For example, instead of running or walking for 40 minutes, do 20 minutes. Second, go harder in intervals. For example, do 3-4 minutes at a faster pace, then go at an easy pace, then a faster pace, and so on. Be sure to warm up first, and cool down at the end. When you first start doing the intervals, do them only at a slightly higher intensity, gradually increasing that intensity as the weeks go by.
• Hard-easy: If you do longer or more intense workouts, be sure to follow them with an easy workout. For example, if you do a longer workout of 45 minutes, just do 20-25 minutes the next day. Or if you do interval workouts one day, do a short easy one the next day. Consider the longer or more intense workouts your “hard” days, and never have two hard days in a row — otherwise, you may get injured or burn out.

Step 5: Replace sugary foods with healthier treats. The next target food area is sugary foods. Just as you did with fatty foods, try to replace them with healthier alternatives one at a time. With the combination of lower fat and less sugar in your diet, and your exercise, you should start losing weight much faster by this step.

Some points to make:

• Challenge: Just like with the fatty foods, try another 30-day challenge with the sweets. See if you can go the whole month without sweets! Or try a more gradual approach, and have less each day.
• Cheat day: If you try a month without sweets, I suggest a cheat day. For me, it’s Saturday, when I can eat whatever desserts I want. Interestingly, I don’t eat as many desserts on my cheat days as I used to. It’s not like I pig out, although I don’t restrict myself either.
• Alternatives: Come up with a list of alternatives to sweets, stock up on them, and get rid of the sweets in your house. For example, if you usually have a candy bar for a snack, have fruits or veggies instead. Often we just want something to munch on.
• Drinks: If you drink sodas or juices, cut out those calories by drinking water, exclusively (except perhaps for a single cup of coffee in the morning).
• Whole grains: If you haven’t yet, look for whole grain alternatives to things you might be eating, including cereal, bread, brown rice, etc.