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Jump-start your workout: 10 fast ways to recharge your fitness program
Men's Fitness, Feb, 2003 by Ben Kallen
Your body has the capacity to run like a finely tuned high-performance vehicle. But what if it's been sitting in the garage all winter long, engine freezing up, battery draining of juice? What you need is a jump-start, a spark that will get your motor running and take you from zero to 60 as fast as possible. The following 10 tips will give you the jolt you need.
1 Start your engine, lust as a single zap of electricity changes a car from a stationary hunk of metal to a 200-horsepower people mover, a single idea can transform your couch-hugging lump of man-flesh into a fast and powerful vehicle equipped to take on everything you want to do in life. That idea is: "I'm ready to go now."
"Guys who successfully begin a new fitness program do so by committing themselves to making a change immediately," says Brad Cardinal, Ph.D., co-director of the sport and exercise psychology laboratory at Oregon State University in Corvallis. You can deepen this commitment by making a mental "contract" with yourself or with a trainer that you're going to spend a certain amount of time each week getting fit, and that you won't let anything get in your way. It can also help to let your buddies know what you're planning so they can support you as you move forward--or get on your case if you don't. But remember that you're the only one who can make that decision and stick to it.
2 Take a look under your hood. "If you want to set measurable goals, you need to know where you are now," says J. Andrew Doyle, Ph.D., director of the applied physiology laboratory at Georgia State University in Atlanta. A body-fat assessment (which you can usually get at your gym or with an electronic device sold in sporting-goods stores) will help you determine if you need to lose flab. You may also want to have your doctor check your cholesterol levels, and anything else he or she deems important. In addition to being useful, finding out that you're chubbier than you thought--or in danger of having a heart attack at 60--can be very motivating.
3 Ask for directions. Having specific goals and a specific strategy to reach them will go a long way toward keeping your program on track. "If, for instance, you want to lose weight, decide what your ideal body-fat reading should be compared to what it is now," says Doyle. "Or if you want to become more muscular, decide how much weight you want to gain while your body fat stays the same or goes down." Then find a workout and nutrition plan that will get you there--the "Muscle Made Easier" program (page 100) would be a great way to begin.
4 Get fully equipped. If you're missing the things you need--home equipment or a gym membership, workout wear, a gym bag, even a padlock that you actually know the combination to--it's easy to postpone getting started. So make a list of everything you must have before beginning your program, and obtain those things today. These items will also help give you what's called an "exercise identity"--in other words, when you feel like a fit guy, you'll work out like a fit guy.
5 Find a good neighborhood to travel in. Having a comfortable environment to work out in is an important element in staying the fitness course. "If a gym has good instructors and equipment, and the personnel is friendly and remembers who you are, that can help you maintain your commitment for the long run," says Doyle. "But if it's crowded and there are equipment problems--something that's more likely to happen this time of year, when a lot of people are joining up--that can undermine your determination."
6 Don't flood your engine. Pushing your body too hard too soon can lead to pain, injuries, and often a delayed or canceled workout program. "People starting out in a new program often have an unrealistic expectation of what they can do, based on what they've seen others do in the gym or because they remember where their bodies used to be," says Doyle. Start with one of our beginner's workouts or hire an experienced trainer to see you through at least your first few sessions. Either way, never use more weight than you can handle with perfect form, and slow down if you feel pain during a workout or are especially sore or stiff the next day. Finally, don't forget to rest: "Recovering between workouts is just as important as the exercise itself," says Lew Lyon, Ph.D., an exercise and sports psychologist at Baltimore's Good Samaritan Hospital.
7 Take in only high-octane fuel. While your body could subsist on corn dogs and Budweiser, you'd get a lot less out of your workouts and have a lot less energy during the course of the day. On the other hand, if you cut back on all the sugary, fatty, floury junk and chow down instead on plenty of low-fat protein, whole grains and fresh produce, you could find your body taking off like a Porsche after an ultra-premium fill-up. Stock your cupboards and fridge with the good stuff, and keep reminding yourself that you're eating to support your workouts and well-being, not your Doritos cravings.
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