New exercise equipment can really motivate

Having a high-fashion outfit, the best gadgets and the priciest fitness equipment money can buy won’t make you an instant pro, but sometimes feeling a bit more like one is all you need.

Why you should give yourself fitness-related rewards
Instead of going out for dinner or splurging on a favorite high-calorie treat, try rewarding yourself with something that’ll help you along your fitness path. A comfy new sports bra or weighted hand gloves can give you incentive to continue your workouts or provide you with a new way to stay active.

Small rewards
•    Pedometer – These handy gadgets will help you make sure you’re getting your recommended 10,000 steps a day. Studies have shown people who wear pedometers increase their daily activity, often resulting in 100 extra calories being burned per day. Many new pedometers double as calorie counters, so you’ll know how many you’ve burned.
•    Sweat-wicking socks - It might not sound like much of a reward but the right socks can make a big difference in comfort when you’re sweating up a storm on the stationary bike. New Balance makes a great CoolMax line that’ll only set you back about $7 to $12 per pair.
•    MP3 player – iPod is the gold standard of MP3 players, but the units often have prices to match. Unless you have a collection of 1,000 or more essential workout songs you’ll be better served looking for a one or two GB MP3 player that’ll keep your workouts interesting with a more-than-enough storage of 250 to 500 songs. For the low prices some online retailers are charging for MP3 players (I got one for under $20) there’s no reason to break the bank.

Worth the extra splurge:
•    New headphones - You’re headphones might be in decent working order, but that doesn’t mean you can’t upgrade to something better as a reward for reaching a fitness goal. To get the most comfortable headphones that’ll stay on while you work out expect to spend anywhere from $40 to $150. Shure sells many top-of-the-line models, but also a few decent ones priced around $50.
•    Mini stepper – This pint sized piece of fitness equipment won’t be what you’ll use for your daily cardio, but it’s a great way to *fit in a little fitness[Sneak Fitness Into Your Daily Routine] during your downtime. A basic stepper costs as little as $60. Set it in front of the couch and step off some extra calories while you check in with your favorite prime-time characters.
•    Two-piece yoga suit – Yes, a pair of old sweats performs the same function, but a matching yoga suit does it so much better. If you clothe your newly buff body in something flattering you’ll be inspired to go to the gym and show it off. Canadian company Roots has a great yoga line with separates you can mix and match.

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A change of pace can reignite your metabolism

When people are trying to lose weight – no matter how valiant their efforts – there often comes a time when the scale stops moving. It’s known as a weight loss plateau and it happens to the best of us.

There are a few reasons for plateaus. When our bodies weigh more they are forced to work harder, meaning they burn more calories. So as we lose weight our bodies inevitably begin to burn fewer calories during the same activities.

The calorie burn of aerobic activity is further reduced if our bodies become used to a cardio routine. Only if the body stays challenged will it continue to burn calories at the same rate.

Best ways to beat a weight loss plateau
Before you decide to restrict your diet, make some changes to your fitness routine. If you don’t already lift weights, now is definitely the time to start. When you build muscle your metabolism speeds up. If you build enough muscle while losing weight your metabolic rate may not even decline.

• Compound resistance training moves - If you spend most of your time in the weight room doing isolation exercises, such as leg and bicep curls and decline bench crunches, you’re missing out on what compound exercises have to offer. By doing one set of deadlifts you’re working not just your glutes, but your hamstrings, lower back, abs and more. It’s the perfect way to challenge your body without spending any extra time in the gym.
• Superset your strength training – Supersets are when you move from one strength training set to the next with 30 seconds or less rest time. Some people simplify this method by doing a circuit. They perform one set of each exercise in their routine and repeat the circuit up to two more times. Switching just one of your weekly strength training sessions to supersets can be enough to get your body burning again.
• Switch up cardio – Even if your cardio involves a strenuous 40 minute elliptical session, five days a week, at some point your body will become efficient at it, burning less calories as a result. That’s where cardio variation comes in. Try switching to the treadmill or stationary bike one or two days a week, or use more than one cardio machine during a single cardio session. When using the elliptical try choosing a different preset program than you’re used to and switch between workouts that are low, moderate and high intensity. One of the best ways to beat a plateau is by incorporating intervals, which can mean alternating between brisk walking, jogging and running during the workout.

Before you get too concerned, ask yourself if you’ve really stopped losing weight. It might be as little as a fourth of a pound a week, but it’s still something – 12 pounds a year to be exact.

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As a pesonal trainer certified through Can-Fit Pro the best way to stay relevent and up-to-date is by attending the conferences that happen several times a year. You get continuing education credits, meet people working in the industry and learn from the best master trainers, teachers and presenters in the business.

It was my first visit  to the Toronto conference this year and I’m glad I took the opportunity. The summer has been so blah I’ve actually been gaining  weight over the last few months. (Usually by the end of a summer full of trips to the beach, hiking, biking, runnning and playing sports I end up a few pounds lighter.) Not so this year. I haven’t even built up half the store of sun I’ll need to get me through the winter.

For the majority of last few weeks months I’ve been busy working and staying indoors out of the rainy, cold weather and because of that my energy forkeeping active had been waning. I’ll worry about my own workouts in the fall I’d tell myself. Recently Ibegan worrying that by the time I got back into my usual routine I’d find my body had a much different proportion of muscle to fat than I was used to.

But the Can-Fit Conference changed everything. After three days full of lectures, classes and workshops I came home with my head full of exciting new ideas I couldn’t wait to try out. It’s been a few weeks and I still haven’t worked through it all. Cycling, Pilates, yoga… I took as many different workshops as I could and learned something new in each one.

I want to stress that fitness conferences aren’t just for professionals working in the industry. The Consumer Fitness and Wellness Show was great, but if you like group fitness classes, learning about how to take care of your body and stay motivated or you just being in an electric atmosphere, there’s nothing wrong with checking out the same courses instructors do. And since you don’t have any obligations to take certain classes or earn CECs you can pretty much do whatever you want.

I say take inspiration wherever you can find it. And for me courses are where I find it most. Being surrounded by so many people, the excitement and energy can’t help but rub off on you.

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I’m going to let you in on my dirty little secret. I’m a bit very scattered when it comes to fitness goals, or any goals for that matter. It’s not that I lack goals, it’s the exact opposite…I usually have way too many on the go. In a matter of a few weeks I’ll decide I’m going to finally make it past that 15th push-up, teach myself to kneel unsupported on a stability ball while doing lateral dumbbell raises, run 5K and learn to play tennis. They are usually fairly lofty goals, so of course I don’t always succeed or I have to shelve them for a later date…ahem running. But some of the time I do hit the mark – six pull-ups in a row thank you very much.

This week the one-legged squat has caught my attention. The strength, balance and sheer determination required for a successful one-legged squat is much too tempting for me to resist. And what a party trick! Dropped you pen? Let me just lower my body down to the floor on one leg and pick that up for you.

Ok so I have had this goal before. It was about eight months ago, which was way too soon for my first attempt, but I quickly realised that and set it aside for later. This time around I’m starting slow, using a stability ball between my back and the wall to help make sure I don’t collapse in a twisted heap. I can’t get down to 90 degrees for more than one just yet, but I can do about 12 part way. And I will continue to add single leg squats to my routine each week until I can do two, then three, and one day maybe even 10.

The reason I think it’s a good idea to set goals both big and small (even though things don’t always work out in my favor) is I need something to get excited for.  There is no better feeling than suceeding at something I set out to do, especially if I wasn’t really sure I could do it.

If you set a lot of goals for yourself, chances are you’ll reach at least one. And once you do there’s another one waiting to be chased.

crystals staying inspired, women's fitness, working out muscle, working out

What do you like to do? If the answer to that question is running and lifting weights, you might think this post doesn’t apply to you, but it’s beneficial for anyone to aquire an active hobby. Often the determining factor between someone who is in the shape they want to be and someone who is still struggling to lose a few pounds is the calories they burn without even trying to. Doing 30 minutes on the treadmill each day is great, but why follow it with four hours of vegging in front of the television. An hour or two spent doing an active hobby can burn as many or even more calories than that one short exercise session.

What I’m talking about is a hobby that burns calories, but not excessively so. An active hobby is something that is interesting. You might even find it relaxing. If you’re lucky it’ll also leave you with a sense of accomplishment. This time of year I find those qualities in gardening.

I enjoy walking the perimeter of my house and trying to remember which variety is planted where. Sometimes I can tell by sight, like with the thick spikes of a hosta or pineapple looking tops of Asiatic lilies, and sometimes I have to rely on my memory or photographs of the previous year to figure out what’s coming up where. I enjoy putting my brain to work recalling the names and characteristics of the plants in my garden. I put my body to work travelling to plant sales to find new varieties, digging up and separating plants that have grown too big and weeding and mulching to make sure the garden looks great all summer long. It’s not usually strenuous work but I find it very rewarding and know it’ doing its part in keeping me healthy and happy.

If I sound a little obsessed it’s because I am. I never think about burning calories or getting into shape when I spend hours each week in my garden, and that’s precisely why it’s such a great hobby. Deep down I know I am strengthening my muscles and bones but I’m so absorbed in my enjoyment of doing it that I never stop to think about it. No matter how much you enjoy running or resistance training there’s always the knowledge that it’s an activity done specifically to become more fit.

Find a hobby that incorporates fitness but puts other priorities ahead of it. Create beauty with a flower garden, produce food for your family with a vegetable patch, make time for your kids by volunteering to coach their soccer team. Those are just a few options, can I help it if my brain is stuck on foliage right now? I’m still looking for an active winter hobby, let me know if you’ve got any good suggestions.

crystals staying inspired active lifestyle