By Miguel J Ortiz
We cannot change the necessary tasks that await us every day. However, we might be able to redirect or organize ourselves a little better, so that we can celebrate our own progress in health while still being able to succeed within our professional environments. Regardless of how busy you are, the road to a healthier lifestyle requires positive sacrifices in order to make progress. So, let’s categorize our goals into three general interests and start processing how we organize our time into these necessary exercise routines.
Weight Loss
Those wanting to trim body fat and drop some pounds will need to focus on two important areas – diet changes and activity. It’s tough losing weight with a high amount of stress. It is vital to focus on stress-releasing activities. The activity doesn’t matter as long as it involves movement and sweating. Light walking and jogging, yoga, foam rolling, and sauna time are great activities to consider when starting out. Try these activities three to five days a week beginning with 5 to 10 minutes of stretching, followed by 10-20 minutes of light jogging and a 5-minute cool down period that includes some light stretching. High stress jobs and lifestyles can create increased carb and sugar cravings, but you need to fight this and take control of your metabolism. Be sure to drink lots of water, absolutely no carbonated drinks and no alcohol. Consume less dairy and breads and more veggies, fruits and all things organic.
General Strength
So, you want to build a little muscle, get ready for a 10K, a marathon or some other event? Whatever it is, you understand your body and you want to challenge yourself. You will need to create/manage your time accordingly to provide enough of an appropriate stress for the body to change. If you want to get better at running, run more. If you want to get stronger, break down more muscle. Either way, creating time management is key so use the following types of workouts to keep it efficient – As Many Rounds/Reps As Possible (AMRAP), Every Minute On the Minute (EMOM), Tabata (8 rounds, 20 seconds on and 10 seconds off). These workout routines are sure to give you a great challenge in a short amount of time. Start with 5-10 minutes of light stretching, a warm up, foam roll, 10-20 minutes of a strength routine in one of the formats above, followed by 5-10 minutes of light stretching and cool down.
Pain Management-Corrective
Getting out of pain and correcting the body is not an easy task. Be patient and you’ll ensure success. Diet is crucial here as you need to help the body heal internally as well as externally/physically.
Don’t add unnecessary stress to the body. Have bad shoulders? Stop doing push ups. Have bad knees? Stop running! This is where slower, more corrective work comes in handy. Consider activites such as yoga, Pilates and water aerobics as they require slow and controlled movements to ensure proper muscular development. General foam rolling and stretching routines will assist recovery.
You must lengthen before you strengthen. Try 5-10 minutes of foam rolling, followed by 10-20 minutes of yoga, Pilates, swimming, etc., and finish with 5-10 minutes of cool down stretch.
For all routines make sure diet continues to be improved, drink lost of water and get plenty of sleep. Catch me next month, as we dive deeper into more specific routines. Have a healthy and wonderful day!
Miguel J Ortiz is a personal trainer in Atlanta, Georgia. He is a member of the National Personal Trainer Institute and a Certified Nutritional Consultant with more than a decade of professional experience. He can be found on Instagram at @migueljortiz.
