Why Can’t I Stick To My Workout Program?

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Whether you’re a novice exerciser or a seasoned workout buff, it is almost always difficult to stick to one workout program. Just as the well-prepared plans are disrupted by life – family, work, illness, grief, bad moods – we don’t have control over everything, although we can sometimes increase the intensity of our exercises through more difficult challenges or obstacles.

If you’re one of the several people who have trouble following their workout schedules and programs, perhaps there is something you can do about it. Read on and find out the major reasons why you can’t stick to your workout program and how you can change it.

If someone or something interferes with your workout schedule, you complain bitterly until you’re able to find a way to sneak out for a quick fix on the treadmill. — Susan Krauss Whitbourne Ph.D.

Your Schedule Does Not Fit Your Way Of Life.

One of the standard guidelines in regular exercise is that we have to do exercise four to five times a week for an hour or so. The problem is that a lot of us don’t have the time or energy to exercise one hour daily. So we tend to skip our programs rather than try to do what we can with the time that’s left because we think that we can’t catch up anymore and it would be a waste of time.

Before you get used to this thought pattern, change it. Make a more doable workout that you are sure you can do. You don’t have to follow complicated routines if they’re only adding to your daily stresses. Do simple exercises that are equally strenuous but don’t require too much thinking.

Pushups, crunches, weight lifts, and lunges are some simple routines that you can perform first slowly and with shorter frequencies and then progress eventually. And you don’t have to force yourself to do an hour. Start with 30 minutes. You’ll see. You can do this!

All you have to do is spend at least 5 minutes looking at snapshots of nature and greenery to potentially see a change in your stress levels. — Michelle Kukla, PsyD

You Don’t Like Your Program.

It’s easy to hate some of the exercises that are part of your program, but part of the solution to this is not changing the routines but adjusting your attitude towards them. Most people exercise to lose weight, but they find it hard to stick to the boring methods that are incorporated into the program. If you start with modifying your personality and the way you think, you’ll understand why these exercises were meant for you.

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However, after stretching your patience and trying your best to like your program but to no avail, you can ask for a new set of workout programs, one that you are probably involved in creating because you know which routines will bore you to death and which ones will lead you to better progress. After a few months and you feel like you’ve gotten used to it, you can do more enjoyable activities in the middle, like badminton, running, or dancing.

 

Your Body Is In Pain.

When you’re in pain and you’re getting through your daily chores and activities, it will be even harder to add exercise to the mix. If you’re experiencing pain from a headache, lower back injury, or sore muscles, you may be hesitant and scared to move or push yourself to exercise.

It is common to experience some muscle soreness after working out. Such pain, however, can be a sign of exercise-induced muscle damage (EIMD). — Pirkko Markula Ph.D.

However, you must know that moving despite some conditions can help alleviate the pain. If formal exercise routines are still difficult to do, you can try to be creative as long as you keep moving.

This is not to say, though, that you will continue with the whole week doing nothing with the pain. You have to see your doctor and see if he has a concrete diagnosis for your problem. Sometimes, he does, and sometimes, he doesn’t, but it’s always safe to have him check you up.

If the doctor tells you that it’s nothing more than a strain from your program, then you don’t have anything to worry about. Go ahead and continue with your workout, but just go around with it and find ways to improvise.

Conclusion

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The key to health and wellness is consistency and commitment. Always try to incorporate any type of activity into your daily life, no matter what it involves. If you’ve been exercising for quite some time and you abruptly stop, you’ll lose what you’ve gained in no time.

Remember to choose a workout program that fits your way of life so you won’t think of quitting something as crucial as taking care of your family – because being healthy is your gift of a happy life.

 

How Home-Based Moms Can Stay Physically Active

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You might think it’s easy for home-based moms to squeeze in exercise in their everyday routines. Well, think again.

In the middle of organizing and cleaning up the mess in the house, raising children, playing wife to their spouse, and working to earn online, you’d be surprised to realize that their plans of finally getting some cardio or any kind of exercise can be thrown away just like that.

If you’re feeling down and discouraged in your role as a stay-at-home mom (SAHM,) you’re not alone. For many women, these feelings can develop into full-blown clinical depression, with recent studies finding that SAHMs are more likely to be depressed than are mothers who work outside the home. — SETH J. GILLIHAN, PHD

As a fitness coach and a mom myself, I’ve worked with a lot of busy moms who were frustrated about how hectic their schedules can be and how much they want to sweat it out to release the stress and everything else with it.

So here’s a list of some of the tips I gave them. I’m giving them out to you so you’ll find the time and the tactics to spend a few minutes of your day to exercise and be healthy and happy.

Exercise And Taking Care Of The Kids Go Together

This may be difficult to do initially, but practicing your kids to be active and healthy is an important part of their growing up, so you’re hitting two birds here. Don’t pressure them, though. Let them think of exercise as an active play that’s equally fun and exciting. For example, you can start with lifting weights.

If you’re holding a 5-lb dumbbell, let your kids roll their socks and then copy your moves – up and down and sideways. You can also go biking with them in the neighborhood. This can be a form of physical as well as a social enhancement for them. Additionally, if you want them to learn some chores, you can teach them how to water the plants or weed the garden with you.

Have a list of “feel-good songs” you can play when low on energy or feeling stressed. Rock it out for a couple of minutes when you need to. — Michelle Kukla, PsyD

Make Your Activities Count

If you have been trying to fit exercise into your schedule today but wasn’t able to, don’t worry. Perhaps you need to go to the grocery store to shop; you can walk to the store so you’ll burn calories. In the evening, when you’re cooking for the family, you can do some squats while you’re waiting for the pasta sauce to boil or do burpees while the stew is simmering.

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Find the time to squeeze in some quality exercises while you still can. Or after dinner, after washing the dishes, do some light pushups before finally heading to the shower. There’s always an opportunity when the day hasn’t ended yet.

Hire A Personal Coach If You Can Afford One

This is a smart move, especially if you can afford it. Hire a personal coach who can teach you and formulate a legit and formal workout program that you can work with twice or thrice a week. Your coach can adjust to your schedule, and you wouldn’t have to go to him and leave your chores at home.

The exercises are those that are customized to fit your needs, your available equipment, and your goals. If you think it’s too heavy on the budget, perhaps you can invite a friend to work out with you so you can share the trainer’s fee.

If you’ve always had greater fat deposition in your thighs and legs, your goal is to optimize your nutrition and physical activity to keep them as toned and fit as possible. — PAMELA PEEKE, MD, FACP, MPH

Let Your Family Support You

Don’t forget about your family, who loves you and wants what’s best for you. Take advantage of their presence to enjoy the perks of being physically active. You can ask your husband to watch the kids twice a week so you can do some serious cardio sessions.

If you want to go with your friends for a yoga or dance session, try asking grandma to cover for you. I’m sure she would love watching over her grandkids. Feel the perks of having family around!

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Final Thoughts

These are only a few of the many strategies you can do to incorporate health into your life as a home-based mom. Don’t be hindered by your chores as a mother and wife. Be active, happy, and healthy so you can live a good life with your family.

 

Health And Wellness For Employees – A Winning Business Strategy

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Today, exercise is not just a luxury but also a necessity – even at the workplace. Engaging employees in a health and wellness program can be a great business strategy to get ahead of the competition on different levels. As an employee, I can attest to the many benefits of a wellness program, some of which are the following:

  • Job satisfaction
  • Enhanced employee performance
  • Reduced costs
  • Healthy living

A highly thriving company starts with the health and wellness of the employees within the organization. It is their enthusiasm, motivation, energy, and vigor that determine its success or failure.

Managers work longer hours than most other occupations, with around 45% of all managers working at least 45 hours a week. The average manager starts each Monday morning with a to-do list containing around 200 items. — Carl Beuke Ph.D.

Corporate well-being has transformed over the years. Business executives and supervisors now believe that starting wellness programs in the workplace is no longer a perk but must be considered an important aspect of an employee’s daily work schedule. Here’s a list of evidence-based trends that companies are now implementing for their employees.

Wellness As A Holistic Approach

Businesses that are committed to improving and making a difference in their employees’ health and overall wellness will want to embrace a more thorough approach. They would not only center the program on physical activity for weight loss or maintenance but also ensure that all areas of health and wellness are incorporated. To achieve this utmost level of well-being, research reveals eight equally codependent aspects of wellness, which are:

  • Physical
  • Mental
  • Emotional
  • Social
  • Environmental
  • Occupational
  • Purposeful
  • Financial

Revolutionary companies move past the narrow method and address the complete needs of the employee through a holistic program. This is because intelligent leaders know that employees with a healthy body and mind will also mean better business outcomes for them.

Addressing Stress Through Workshops

Working in finance, insurance, technology, stock exchange, or other similar businesses can be pretty stressful, with limited resources for wellness. Workplace stress is a very common occurrence in employees who are especially determined to yield the best results for their companies and for themselves.

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If they don’t achieve this, they become unhappy, depressed, and unengaged. When the leaders in business companies realized this, they realized the importance of investing a holistic wellness approach for their employees, which was actually one of the best decisions they’ve ever made for their business.

It’s well established that both acute (short-duration) and chronic stress impacts the body. This can be observed in the release of stress hormones, changes in heart rate and blood pressure, increased muscle tension, and perspiration, among other effects. — Traci Stein, PhD, MPH

Occupational stress has reportedly cost over $300 billion yearly in turnover, medical costs, reduced productivity, and absenteeism, among others. Similarly, when an employee is present but underperforms, it can cost companies twice as much. Stress sucks the life of energy out of us. Stress and resilience workshops can help deal with these negativities effectively.

To beat occupational stress, try out BetterHelp. This website handles all your problems with mental health such as stress and more.

Wellness Customized For Each Employee

What’s good for one employee may not do well for another employee, as there is no one-size-fits-all method in wellness. When you visit a doctor and are given a diagnosis, the doctor doesn’t just give you the same medications as his last patient, even if you may have the same condition. Why? You have different medical histories.

Wellness varies from employee to employee, and each company’s vision, goals, and culture are different. The organization needs to establish what wellness means before formulating a customized program that can best support and improve its employees. You may want to hire a wellness coach for this task.

Enhancing Emotional Intelligence

Business leaders are rapidly acknowledging EI or EQ as an important element in the success of their company. EQ training involves helping employees recognize and handle their emotions as well as others’ emotions with the goal of self-awareness and awareness of others’ feelings. It will also help them become better leaders and decision-makers.

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Intense emotions can be distressing and may interfere with our ability to carry out day-to-day activities and the way we interact with others. Therefore, it is important to know how to manage intense emotions. — Monica Lake, PsyD

Though on the outset, you won’t see why this has something to do with corporate wellness, internally you will soon discover as a leader that improving your employee’s EQ encourages them to come to work prepared and ready to hit their goal every day.

In the end, the presence or lack of a health and wellness program in the workplace will, in a major way, determine the performance of the employees. Advanced companies understand that corporate health and wellness and productivity are intricately linked and should be incorporated in any kind of business.