Many years ago, before I landed my first job as a creative writer in the fashion retail industry, I worked as a personal trainer. Now, I have been an athlete my entire life (I still weightlift or run at least 5-6 times a week), but it wasn’t until I became a trainer that I learned a few things about getting (or staying) in good physical shape.
So in honour of all those “I’m going to work out more” resolutions this year, here are a few simple things to take into consideration if you decide that focusing on your health in 2015 is a priority.
Don’t Set Vanity Goals
If you only want to shrink your waist or dress size then the chances are you won’t stick with exercising for more than a couple of months. Why is this? Because from what I’ve experienced (and witnessed first hand training clients), it takes at least 6 months of continual daily exercising for most people to see a noticeable change in their physical shape.
Don’t Just “Spot Tone” And Think You’ll Lose Weight Where You Want
Unfortunately, the powers that be gave our bodies a mind of their own. What I mean by this is that our bodies burn fat where they want to burn fat, not necessarily where we want to burn fat. If your goal is to turn your keg into a 6-pack, doing 1000 crunches every day may not do it. Those crunches will definitely make your abs stronger and burn calories, but your body will burn the fat inside you from wherever it wants.
Dress Appropriately For A More Productive Workout
Activewear attire is just as important as workout attitude. But before you consider this a shameless plug for our Activewear Collection, here are a couple of reasons why we should wear the proper clothing whether we’re heading out for a long walk or hitting the weights.
- Physical exertion (no matter how mundane) produces sweat.
Sweat contains a ton of salt and when it evaporates on your skin, it leaves all that salt behind. That salt on your skin combined with the friction from your clothing while exercising is the number one cause for chafing. Most of the time the pain caused from chafing (and the time it takes your skin to recover) forces people to stop working out. That’s why it’s important to wear moisture-wicking activewear fabrics. These fabrics are technologically designed to pull sweat off your body and trap it in their fibres so your skin stays drier and much less salty.
- Most physical activity forces you to amplify or push your range of motion beyond everyday levels.
Activewear’s primary design (from fabric to fit) is to create fully functional protection and comfort. The fabric functionally protects your muscles and joints by stretching/moving with you during extended range of motion (like many yoga stretches or weightlifting exercises) so you don’t incur muscle/joint strain. Ever tried to climb stairs two at a time wearing a pair of jeans or chinos? If you have, then chances are it was an awkward struggle because the fabric doesn’t give – it jolts to a stop, which our bodies especially hate when we are in motion.
So, as the New Year progresses I wish everyone who plans to make 2015 the year they focus on their physical health all the best!
Randy Horton, Creative Director.
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