fit tips
EVERYBODY with Keith Glines
by Keith Glines
Happy New Year ! For many , those words come with a mixed bag of emotions . For some , there is excitement , and others , frank apprehension . Some may feel regret and others feel hopeful . Regardless of how those words make you feel , for most there is usually some form of expectant future ambition and analysis of past failures and wins . If you ’ re like a multitude of people , you ’ ve set some sort of goal for making a change this year .
Greetings , and welcome to Every Body ! This is my opportunity to share some of the information I ’ ve gathered over my twenty-year career in the fitness industry . I ’ ve studied and worked in areas from cardiac rehab and strength and conditioning to weightloss and improving muscle function . I ’ ve been exposed to many theories , approaches , techniques , and thought processes . Some of them are great and I still use them as tools in my toolbox . Some of them aren ’ t so great , which is why I want to share some of the information I ’ ve gathered so that you might be able to make some wise decisions regarding your fitness , muscular system , and health !
Some people call those goals resolutions , and some call them goals , changes , modifications , etc . However you choose to label them , they are going to require that you do something different . After all , isn ’ t the definition of insanity to do the same thing repeatedly , only to expect a different result ? For a vast majority , these changes include some type of health and fitness improvement . If you ’ re here , at HAC , you ’ re already taking steps to improving your health . Congratulations ! Part of the challenge of setting new goals is knowing how to get from where you are to where you want to be . This article is intended to help give you some ideas of how to structure things so that you can take steps closer to your resolution , changes , goals , etc .
Walking in to a gym like HAC can be intimidating for a lot of people . There are so many equipment choices that you might feel paralyzed with options . If you ’ ve ever asked any questions such as : “ Where do I get started ?”, “ How hard should I be working ?”, “ Am I the only one that doesn ’ t know what they ’ re doing ?”, “ Do I look as uncomfortable as I feel ?”, or “ How did these people get in such good shape ?!?!” then you are more like other people than you might think . I ’ ll do my best to answer those questions .
Here ’ s my disclaimer : I don ’ t give out specifics such as what exercise you should do or what the latest , greatest fad is . Why ? Because I believe that each of us is different and we all have a different exercise and health history and resources such as time , finances , and support . To boot , we also differ in the mechanics of our bodies and how our muscles interact with our limbs , the length of our limbs , our physiological and mechanical potential to perform certain tasks , as well as our current mental state . All of this means that this exercise thing is pretty complicated . With that said , your first step should be to consult with a personal trainer to seek their advice . Our trainers have years of education and experience and are experts at working out this equation for you . This is what they do for a living . In fact , did you know that all HAC adult members are entitled to two complimentary sessions with a personal trainer ? Nonetheless , we understand you may not be quite ready for that and would like to try to do things on your own . If that ’ s the case , apply some of the following principles to help you get to your goals safely !
“ WHERE DO I GET STARTED ?”
It ’ s called the beginning for a lot of people . If you ’ re new to exercise , this is you . If you ’ re re-starting your exercise program after a hiatus of any length or you ’ re on a path toward a new goal ( or resolution ), it also includes you . So , where do you start ? Let ’ s explore …
Starting can be the tough part . The first step is to get here ! If you ’ ve accomplished that , then you ’ ve done more than a lot of people . You may have done more than your former self , the one that intended to come but didn ’ t . Congratulations , you ’ re on your way toward your goal ! The next step is to pick an exercise . If you haven ’ t been exercising , then choose something that you might not hate ( let ’ s be honest , not everyone enjoys the process ). Once you ’ ve made your choice , then do a little bit more than you were doing before . For the beginners , that might be 5-10 minutes of exercise . If that ’ s 5-10 minutes more than you were doing , then that ’ s awesome ! You have to reach 5-10 before you reach 30 , so know that it ’ s okay to start slow and gradually build yourself up . If you ’ ve been doing 30 minutes but your goal is 60 minutes , then perhaps you should add 5-10 minutes at a time instead of making the big jump . If you ’ ve run 5ks and want to now run 10ks , you need to increase a little bit at a time ( some know it as the 10 % rule : only add 10 % of what you were previously doing ).
Small steps are key . They let your body adapt gradually without over-stressing your system . Some people say that you should “ shock ” your system . I don ’ t agree . If you see my system in shock , please call for help ! Shock isn ’ t a healthy state , so I try to avoid it . I believe that preventing injuries is key to helping you stay consistent in your training , which is key to achieving your goals .
“ HOW HARD SHOULD I BE WORKING ?”
One word that can summarize this phrase is intensity . Since the root word is “ intense ,” we tend to think that intensity must be varying degrees of hard . And while that ’ s true , one degree of hard we typically fail to recognize is something that you might refer to as easy . Many people think that if they ’ re not working “ hard ,” then there ’ s no point . However , there ’ s
enhance magazine | JANUARY 2017 19