by Luci Gabel | Featured Contributor
You’re a businesswoman and you don’t have time
to waste. If you’re making time to exercise, kudos to you. You need to get the most out of each minute you spend working out.
I’ve spent much time helping clients increase their exercise return on investment (ROI). The first and foremost rule: If you want your body to change, your exercise needs to be challenging. But—
challenge and comfort don’t necessarily sit at opposite ends of the spectrum when it comes to exercise.
Of course, we’ve all heard about high intensity exercise training (or HIIT). It’s the rage—but it’s not for everyone. It’s not the only way to get results, and not the only way to challenge yourself.
When coaching clients, I ask them to get to a place where they feel comfortably challenged. It’s a good place to be, because you can keep up a comfortably challenged pace for longer periods of time, thus burning more calories overall. And, it’s important to have a certain level of comfort if you’re going to keep coming back for more.
Yes, you heard me. It’s ok to feel comfortable in your workout and not always feel like you’re killing yourself. In fact it’s well known by those of us in the industry, that regularly cycling through harder and easier workouts is the only way to long-term success.
Quality movement is most important for achieving results and maintaining a certain level of comfort.
It involves learning the right movement technique* as well as being connected to your body during a workout. (Exercise *technique is also known as form.)
Like playing a musical instrument or dancing, having good form is critical for optimizing any physical movement. It maximizes your opportunity for results and minimizes your exposure to injury. With correct form you’ll use the right muscles in the right way, feel less “bad” pain (joint pain, and general uncomfortability), and more “good pain” (muscle work and sweat).
If you aren’t sure if your movements are quality movements, take a little time to investigate. Having an expert watch you is an excellent way to begin. You can also learn plenty about form and technique from trustworthy professional sites on the web. Some of the sites I recommend are: ACE Fitness Exercise Library, Yoga Journal Pose Library, and my own.
Stay tuned for 3 more ways to maximize your exercise ROI, and most importantly see the results you’re looking for without wasting time.
Luci Gabel- MA, MBA, ACE, ACSM – Exercise Physiologist, nutritionist, content manager and owner of LuciFit, LLC.
Luci helps clients and students drop the fads, sort out the myths from reality, and understand food and fitness in a way that works for their body, and for life. She has over 20 years of experience working with a wide range of clients, from professional athletes to the business savvy woman. You can count on Luci to be your truth-teller, and your myth dispeller when it comes to mass media information about food and exercise. And she’ll always be a cheerleader on your side!
