phobia

Hi there fit people!
So I was talking to my mother who said a statement that I have heard time and time again "I don't like gyms".
This statement always stays with me because the statement itself is BAD FOR YOU. You heard me-simply stating that you do not like gyms cuts out the option of going to one. Think about it-if you say you do not like something-how likely are you going to be to try it. NOT AT ALL, that's how likely.
This statement might as well be "I don't like heels". If you do not like heels you do not wear heels. If you do not like gyms you do not go to gyms.
I am going to divulge a secret to being fit-you have to go to the gym.

Running outside is helpful but not always weather-friendly. Free weights at home are good but sometimes limiting. And if it is not limiting then it is an 'at home gym' which counts as 'a gym' and therefore you have a gym.

But let's go over what people do not like about public gyms and then let's break down some of the thoughts that we have about them.
1. People stare/judge/are looking at me/ are talking about me.
                        a. They are not. If they stare at you-then they are either admiring you or competing with you in their head. Some people need this kind of motivation. Also-are you staring at other people in the gym? No-you are concentrating about what you are doing and trying not to look at everyone else. You are also actively worrying about other people staring at you. Which is (guess what) what every other person is doing.
                        b. Even if they are staring at you or looking at you or judging you-what are they going to do about it? Their thoughts are quiet in their heads and cannot change your workout. And even if they talk about you who cares? What can they possibly say? What's the worst they could say? You may fumble on a machine, you may be able to do more or less that everyone else. But at the beginning of working out-every single person is worse than everyone else, and everyone is at different levels of their own personal fitness goals. They cannot change you. Their words are words of a self-conscious person in the gym just like you. We often forget that we are just like everyone else, we are human and have human instincts and reactions just like everyone else.

2. We are not good at working out/we do not what to do.
                           a. If you are reading this blog, you have probably used the internet to see what to workout at other times too. You know your body right? Start with a treadmill, run or walk-the buttons are self explanatory and then figure out what you want to strength build. After you do your cardio on a treadmill or an elliptical (also self explanatory) go to the machines which will most likely be in the same room (or in a room nearby-do not hesitate to ask someone who works there, they get questions all the time and are paid to do so). The machines will actually depict to you what to do. They have pictures and instructions as well as a guide to what muscles the machine will work out for you. It is simpler than everyone expects.
                            b. No one is good at working out. Not at first-and besides, how can anyone be "good" at something that tailors differently to every person? Some people react well to yoga, some to weight lifting, some to running, some to swimming etc. I myself am not a good swimmer, and I am thought of as someone who likes working out and keeping in shape by my friends. But when it comes to swimming I need as much help as I can get.
                             c.Everyone starts somewhere. Every buff dude or wire-y woman you see at the gym started somewhere. They were at one point the awkward new guy on the treadmill and trying on different work outs before finding what was right for them.

3. The locker room/ paying $$$ for a membership/ making time for working out
                             a. The locker room: All locker rooms come with lockers (you may have to provide your own lock-as the front desk about this. They may have some you could buy or they could come with locks already. There are also stalls and changing areas where you can change privately if you are self-conscious about being exposed, or if you are religiously required to stay mostly covered. Turst me-everyone is having the same thoughts as you and are not staring at you =)
                              b. Money: There are gyms that have sales for ridiculous prices (hint PLANET FITNESS can have sales as low as $1 a month with a down payment of $20). Even the cheapest gyms will have treadmills and free weights. The only things you are paying for with a big, fancy gym membership are food bars and extra rooms. Some do have classes you can attend and sports rooms and lessons from personal trainers. However as a college student I am very happy with my free membership at my school gym (students and people with gyms in their place of work check this option out!) In my school gym there are treadmills, ellipticals, weights, machines, sports equipment, etc. There are so many resources even in the least expensive of gyms. In smaller gyms with very few resources and equipment there are usually dedicated members who know how to make due with what they have, and are in great shape with very little money.
                                c. Making time: Most people come home late from work and go into work early in the morning and have class etc etc. I am going to tell you something-there is no excuse not to take care of your health. Once you start going at the times you can go-you will start feeling the energy to go more. Even if you have to go to the gym late (there are 24-hour gyms ex: PLANET FITNESS)your body over the course of as little as a week will start reacting well to getting the exercise it needs. There will be energy and a drive to go more (at the times that are available for you). Even if it's just going for a late-night run it will be worth it at the end of the day.

Well I hope this helps people of fitness. Remember: you are the only one with your fate in your hands. No one else (not at a gym, not a parent and not a boss) can change your body. Only you can do that, and if you make the time and make the drive you will.

Happy fitness my friends!
Hannah

Magic

Hello friends of fitness!
Today I want to talk about something very important. This very important thing is kind of like magic, it recharges your body, boots your metabolism, increases concentration and makes you look fresh and young. This is called...get ready: sleep!!

It is finals week and holiday shopping time here on campus and it is more than difficult for a busy and stressed out person to get the right amount of sleep. I cannot stress enough how necessary sleep is for working out, it allows your muscles to heal and for your next workout to be pain free and enjoyable. The amount of sleep you can to be getting a night is between 6-8 hours....I know. I am usually not able to get that much sleep either. With 8AM classes and homework, working, time for friends, the baby waking up and (let's be honest) a healthy sex life-it can be almost impossible to sleep more than 5 hours a night.

But time management is important-if we stick to our time management and our responsibilities throughout the day, we can sleep more at night. This seems like a simple concept (on paper) but really it's not. It's hard to tell your friend to stop talking because you have homework, or to turn down the lunch date because you need to go to a meeting. But people understand obligations, and will actually admire you for your ability to get everything done (and look awesome doing it).

Last night I was up late studying for an exam and preparing an assignment (a lesson learned in time management) and I only got to sleep at around 3:00 and woke up at 7:30 for my 8AM exam. I was sore and needed a stretch (and still feel like I need a stretch). I was a bit moody and I didn't get a chance to work out because I was so tried. I took a nap which left me sleepy and confused and that was no good.

But like I said-sleeping is a lot like magic and should never be underestimated (like a good run)

Happy fitness everyone! I'm going to bed
Hannah

Hey everybody!
It's your friendly neighborhood  fitness friend with some tips and tricks of the trade. There are so many magazine and internet articles and testimonies out there giving different information. So many before and after pictures with miracle products and machines and people in good lighting and OH WOW WHAT TO BELIEVE?!?!

You can look at all the magazines with work out moves you want, google all the diets in the world and still not be truly healthy and fit. Because these moves and diets do not teach you how to live a healthy lifestyle, only how to do a leg lift or a squat...fun!

But here's the basis for a healthy lifestyle:
~ Take your steps towards success day by day, measuring each day as an opportunity to reach your goal. Then at the end of the week, evaluate yourself and your progress.
~ Push yourself when you exercise, you can get nowhere by staying in your comfort zone. Once you leave your comfort zone, getting out of it again will be easier and more fun. Remember: your goals are probably not in your comfort zone-you have to push yourself-it's gonna suck at first but you can do it!
~Exercise! Every day! Cardio to get your heart beating (this burns fat) and strength building to tone and build/shape your muscles (the building of muscle also revs up your fat loss, and helps your cardio become more effective).
                    -Examples of cardio: running, swimming, power walking, dancing, biking, jump rope, boxing, trampolines, jumping jacks, elliptical machines, etc.
                    -Examples of strength building: weight training, the repetition machines at gyms, lunges, push-ups, yoga (this is a lot of stretching too), pilates, most floor exercises, pull-up bars, resistance bands, squats etc.
~Eat every 2-3 hours, something around 300-400 calories. A lot of what everyone should eat is vegetables, dark green and crunchy and raw and lovely. These magical foods are full of fiber and can fill you up. Supplementing vegetables with a lean protein like chicken, fish or legumes is important in keeping full and your muscles strong. Fruits are good once or twice a day but are high in carbs and sugar as well as calories. Eating every 2-3 hours keeps your metabolism speedy and your energy level high.

And THOSE are the secrets of a healthy lifestyle. There are 4, with 2 subcategories. Easy right? Kinda-it will be hard if this is not what you are accustomed to doing. But you have to keep your goals in mind, how will you feel afterward if you make an unhealthy choice? What about if you make a healthy one? You can do it! You CAN!

Happy fitness!
Hannah

Welcome!

Hello! You are probably here because you want to get fit and need some inspiration or information. I can help with that. My name is Hannah, I am a college student on a budget and with limited time. I work and study as well as have a social life and extra activities I engage myself in. I make the time for fitness and healthy eating because I am an important person who deserves to feel their best.

This brings me into my first lesson in fitness: You Deserve To Be Fit
You are a human being. You have a body and a mind and a soul and a heart. You have feelings and emotions and thoughts and they are just as important as everybody Else's. When you do something good you deserve to be proud of yourself! When you fail at something it is not truly a failure until you give up. When you give up, there is no chance of success.

 We all have follies and weaknesses, triumphs and failures, we all compete and compare ourselves with the person we see next to us. This is simply how humans work. Think: if we were still living in caves and running around trying to catch food and mate with our friends, we would want to get to the deer and the mates before anyone else did. Our competitive instinct keeps us motivated, it is when we sulk in our cave and feel ashamed that we did not catch that deer first that keeps us from looking for another deer and feeding our family. (See what I did there-it was an analogy for success).

Think about it, when you do something noteworthy, how often do you pat yourself on the back? How often do you think of yourself as a person of worth or intelligence? If you are like most people in the world-probably not very often.
As a human we tend to put ourselves down in order to motivate ourselves to do better, but think of this: if you say you did poorly at something, how likely is it that you are going to try doing it again? Probably not very likely. If someone says (or we say to ourselves) "Good job! Keep going!" then we are most likely going to be inspired to show off more of our good work and continue to reward ourselves with satisfaction of a task well-done.

So here is what I have to say, as we are all humans and all wanting to succeed, I suggest we encourage ourselves and not give up on catching a deer. Trust me, there are plenty of deer to go around. It's mind over matter, brains over brawn etc. As long as we push ourselves and don't let our mind say "I can't" or "I won't be able to", our human nature can work FOR us instead of against us and we can reach any goal. Be it fitness, or that promotion, or the A in class, or even getting up the courage to ask that REALLY cute person out on a date. If we can think it and not let our mind or negativity hold us back we can accomplish what we want to accomplish.

With that, happy fitness everybody!
Let's get a goal, and work towards it. Hang up the pictures of what you want to look like, or write a target weight on your arm. Whatever the goal, I am here to help you obtain it.
Let's get fit!