Fitness Anniversaries and Goal Setting

by Heather Long | More from this Blogger

01 Jul 2006 10:52 AM

Wow, July 1, 2006 - it's hard to believe but 1 year ago today, I ramped up my fitness program to include a 90 minutes per day hard pushing walk on the treadmill. I got up every morning by 4:45 a.m. and did my 90 minutes, pausing at the end for a ten-minute cool down, shower, change and then to work. It was a hard and arduous process - but within two weeks - my energy levels were soaring and by the first week in August - I was feeling great.

In honor of my one year anniversary, I wanted to talk about shaking up your workout and reassessing your goals. It's the first day of the latter half of the year and while we are in the midst of summer, it's always a good time to start a new habit or a new workout. It's just a matter of deciding what your goals are and how you want to get there.

My initial goal with ramping up my workout was to develop a stronger immune system and to get more energy in my day. I spend a great deal of time at a computer and writing. That's how I make my living and my workout already included weight training, yoga and some cardio. At the time - my then trainer suggested that to trim off the extra pounds I was looking to lose, the best bet was to increase the cardio portion of my workout.

Hence - the 90 minute routine was born. In six short weeks, I dropped two full dress sizes and I felt better than I had in months and that included doing all the other components of my workout program. So ask yourself this - are you happy with how you feel? Do you feel successful in your chosen fitness program? Do you feel good when you wake up in the morning? Do you successfully fend off colds regularly and recover quickly when you do get them? Are you adept at managing your stress levels? Do you sleep well at night?

If you can't answer yes to most of these questions, then it just might be time to shake up your work out or fitness program. Decide what you want to get out of your program and build from there - i.e. if you are looking to lose weight or trim inches, increase the cardio portion and more. If you can afford it, invest in a couple of sessions with a personal trainer in order to evaluate your current workout and help to design a new one.

What do you do when you are looking to shake up your fitness routine?

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Learn more about Heather Long

Heather Long is 35 years old and currently lives in Wylie, Texas. She has been a freelance writer for six years. Her husband and she met while working together at America Online over ten years ago.

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