7 Great Tips from My Personal Trainer ...

Photo Credit: Mike Dykstra

Ken has told me that whether you’re trying to maintain your weight, lose weight, or gain weight, it’s always important to eat well. Never skip meals, especially breakfast, especially If you’re working out that day. Ken recommends eating five small, healthful meals each day, balancing your food groups, including protein and carbs, both of which are vitally important. That’s right — carbs are completely necessary, so you absolutely cannot skip them altogether!

Photo Credit: Method Fitness

If you’re nearly finished with your work out of just a rep of one exercise, and you’re finding it hard to keep going, don’t give up! Push yourself. You’ll never get anything out of a workout unless you’re pushing yourself past your comfort zone.

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No matter how awesome and rewarding your workout is, eventually, it will get boring, so you have to change it up! Add a new exercise or a new machine to your workout to keep it fresh, so you won’t get bored and want to quit.

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This is perhaps the absolute most important bit of knowledge my personal trainer has passed on to me. No matter what a piece of exercise equipment or diet pill promises, there is no way to burn fat in just one area. So all of those ads you see that say you can burn belly fat or fat on your thighs are, quite simply, lying. To burn fat, you need to cut calories and exercise the entire area. There’s no other way, so don’t bother with those pricey pills and cuffs, because they absolutely will not work.

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We’re all different, and that means we all have different motivations for working out. Once you find the right motivation, you’ll find your workout easier, and more inspired. My motivation is to live long enough to see both my daughters grown, and to be able to keep up with them. What’s yours?

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Not even tough, incredibly well-paid pro athletes work out when they’re sick or injured. So why should you? According to Ken, you really shouldn’t. If you workout when you’re injured, you’ll likely hurt yourself even worse. And if you workout when you’re sick, you’re going to be miserable, and quite possibly make other people at the gym sick, too. So stay home, rest, and come back to the gym when you’re feeling better.

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Before, during, and after your workout, it’s important to stay hydrated. Think about it — you’re sweating, and you’re thirsty. And if you hate water, that’s no excuse… drink something else, like flavored water or Gatorade. Just don’t drink anything carbonated, or you’ll drag through the rest of your workout with a bloated, burpy tummy!

See what I mean? Ken’s a brilliant personal trainer! Do you have any tips to share from your personal trainer? Please let me know… and thanks for sharing!

Top Photo Credit: Method Fitness