Wishing Won’t Do It – Strength Training Does
Okay, it’s the start of a new year – the start of a new decade. You made your New Year’s resolutions long ago and now it’s time to take the action that you faithfully promised yourself you would take in order to live a healthier, more balanced lifestyle.
Your goal isn’t simply to look good on the outside – you know, building up those biceps or developing an awesome abdominal six-pack. You want something that goes beyond exercise; you want something that can be almost transformational in nature.
A good place to seek out such goals can often be found in strength training. If you have health concerns or other doubts about starting any new training program, it’s not a bad idea to consult your physician before you proceed.
Strength-training can give you what you need, to be the person you want to be.
You might first want to consider what kind of goals you would like to achieve through strength training. Maybe you just want to build up your endurance and increase your energy; perhaps it will help to improve your self-confidence; and maybe you just want your clothes to fit better.
Whatever your goals might be, it’s wise to start small and focus on goals that you might be able to accomplish in a relatively short amount of time. Not only does this give your body time to acclimate to the new training, but successfully reaching those small goals can be a great source of motivation to keep going forward in your program.
Your strength training program is not supposed to be a contest of who can be the strongest in the shortest amount of time. Entering into a strength-training program with that kind of mindset about competition is likely to result in sustaining an injury. This can also occur as a result of spending too much time on your training. There are limits to how much you should train, and it’s a good idea to respect those limits.
Use strength-training as the foundation for a program of weight loss and healthy living.
Aside from actual weight training, what other factors play a role in strength training? Diet is perhaps among the most important, preferably taking in more quality protein and avoiding too much unhealthy fat. It is also beneficial to get a sufficient amount of sleep. Contrary to what people might believe, muscles don’t grow and strengthen while you’re actually exercising them; muscle strength builds when the body is at rest.
A variation in the intensity and diversity of your training sessions is a good way to keep your muscles “on their toes.” If you repetitively work on the same sets of muscles again and again, the others are likely to get complacent and lazy. Remember, you want to include balance as an element of your strength training. Additionally, you always want to warm up so that your muscles will be prepared for the workout that’s about to occur. Warming up is perhaps one of the most important things you can do to protect yourself from strain and injury.
Be a friend to yourself… there’s no time like the present.
Starting this strength training program can be considered a way of honoring a promise you made to yourself. It’s not supposed to be a burden or a punishment. This is something that you want to do to ensure that you continue to stay healthy, strong, and energized. To that end, it’s always a good idea to work out with a friend, both for safety’s sake, as well as for fun and mutual support.
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To Your Success,
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