Time is limited how do I stay consistent
No doubt this is a challenge for many of us. Time is limited, so the key is to get the most out of the time we do have to exercise.
“Yvette, I am on a limited time schedule, I want to be consistent with my exercise, so is it better to do more Cardiovascular exercise or more Resistance training in order to burn the most calories and lose the most amount of fat?” Now let’s get real here – it is not so much about WHAT you do as it is about HOW you do it.
Both resistance training and Cardio has the potential to burn substantial amounts of calories if done correctly. You can spend 2 hours on the treadmill walking while reading your magazine and I can tell you that you are wasting your time. You can go into the weight room and play around with insignificant weights and exercise with bad form and take long breaks and I can tell you that you are wasting your time.I do suggest you do both Cardio and Resistance training though. But it is very important that you get most benefit out of your workouts by doing them right. Heart health is very important and any kind of Cardiovascular exercise – especially high intensity cardio will work. When I see women at the gym on the treadmill most are reading a magazine at a 3.0 speed.
THIS IS NOT HIGH INTENSITY AND WILL GET YOU MINIMAL RESULTS. You need to push yourself and you need to sweat. Be consistent with your workouts whether it be kickboxing, spinning or running. For me I love kickboxing and I do intervals by doing a fast speed boxing song followed by a slower kicking song. You can follow this technique on any piece of cardio equipment. Push it for a minute and then recover for a minute you get the idea. SWEAT AND GET BREATHLESS!
It is also very important that you do resistance exercise as it strengthens your bones and increases your muscle mass. The more muscle you have, the more calories you will burn which of course will result in fat-loss. The key is to have a plan in the weight room. are you doing full body , upper body or legs ?? A planned routine and staying consistent with timed rest is key. You can also get both cardio and resistance training with bootcamp style workouts or kettlbells.
So during this crazy time of year do both cardio and weights and plan them both in your calendar. Don’t even think about calling it a day until it gets marked off your calendar. If your plan is 2 days cardio and 2 days weights then mark them in your calendar with the same importance you would a sales call or a Drs appt. I always workout in the morning first thing.. this way I know its done and there is no chance it will be side swiped. Find a plan that works for you and stick to it.
