6 Keys To Getting Maximum Results In Minimum Time With Your Home Exercise Equipment

I love going to the gym.  The sounds, the smells, the grunts, the groans.  Nothing is more inspiring, but life sometimes gets in the way.  I get busy.  Very busy.

Working with my fitness clients and athletes takes up a lot of time.  I do have a life, you know.

But I have to tell you about my new favorite place in the world to workout.  My home studio.  It’s got everything in it that I want.  AND get this it didn’t cost me an arm and a leg.

Consider this.  How much do you have to spend each year for a health club or gym membership?  Now add up all the years you’ve gone to the gym and all the years you will go to the gym for the rest of your life.  That’s a big chunk of change!  When you think about it, it makes total sense to buy your own equipment and do it at home. 

There’s no drive to the gym.  No waiting.  No annoying sales people.  You can listen to the music that you want to (or put a TV in the gym for cardio training).  Oh, and the best part is that it’s always open.  Want to get in a good workout on Christmas day.  You can.

Here’s the tricky part.  You can’t just go out and buy whatever equipment seems popular on TV or in magazines.  Do that and you’ll be unhappy in less than a month.  You need a plan to determine what you need in the way of equipment to successfully achieve your fitness goals.

The following 6 points are MUSTS if you want to save time, money, and maximize your success in a minimum of time.

1. Define your personal fitness goals as specifically as you can.  For any fitness-related goal there are a number of methods you can use to be successful, but first you have to know where you’re going.  Do you want to get stronger?  Do you want to build muscles?  Lose weight or reduce your body fat?  Increase endurance?  Reduce stress?  Are you preparing for a sport?  All the above?  Without knowing that you could end up spending more money than you need to on equipment that you’ll never fully utilize.  Not to mention you may fail in your attempts to achieve your goals.

2. How much space are you willing to devote to your home gym?  If you’ve only got a 5 x 5 space at home, you’re really going to have to be efficient.  Don’t expect to fit large pieces of fitness equipment into such a small space.  Be realistic.  Maybe it’s time to clear out the room you’re using for storage or that corner of the garage that is just wasted space.  Maybe you’ve got some space, but you’ll need to make your gym a little more portable so you can store it away when it’s not in use.

3. Familiarize yourself with your options on types and brands of exercise equipment.  Find out what you’ll be comfortable with.  Would you invest in a house or car without looking at several options or a test drive?  Remember, this is an investment in you.  There are all types of equipment from treadmills and crosstrainers, to selectorized weight equipment, to barbells and dumbbells.  Check out equipment on the Internet or in catalogues.  Stop by the exercise equipment retailers and actually see it and even try it out before you even consider buying.  Believe me this is time well spent.  When the time comes to discuss equipment with the appropriate person, be it a salesperson or a fitness professional, you won’t be completely in the dark when it comes to determining your wants and needs and end up buying something you hate or won’t use.

4. Consult with a fitness professional.  Take advantage of a professionals “in the trenches experience” and educational background when it comes to matching your fitness-related goals with selecting the appropriate equipment for you.  Again, this saves you time and money by preventing you from wasting money on useless or poorly designed equipment.  You may also find that your fitness professional may have relationships with fitness equipment retailers which will allow you to buy your equipment at a discount. 

5. Always buy top quality equipment from a reputable retailer.  Yes, it costs more money, but as the saying goes, “You get what you pay for”.  This is so true when it comes to exercise equipment.  Avoid the temptation of trying to save a couple dollars by buying equipment that may not be up to your required standards.  Buying top quality equipment will last you a lifetime.  If you have any doubt, compare how much you have or could have spent on gym memberships over your lifetime with the cost of your new fitness equipment.  I have no doubt that you will always spend less money on your home gym than you ever would by purchasing a lifetime of gym memberships.

6. Utilize local retailers as much as you can.  While it may seem logical to save money by purchasing equipment online or via a catalogue, shipping charges on fitness equipment can be outrageous.  You end up spending more than if you shopped at your neighborhood retailer.  There is also an issue of maintenance.  Even the best equipment can experience the occasional breakdown.  Try getting a mail-order company to service your equipment.  It’s not easy.  Your local retailer can usually resolve your problems in no time at all.

There you have it.  These recommendations will help you tremendously.  Please keep in mind that it’s just not as easy as it seems, but it is worth the extra time especially when you’re making such a serious investment in yourself.  That’s why I encourage you to seek the help of a fitness professional.

If you’re sick, you go to the doctor.  If you’ve got a tax problem, you see an accountant (or an attorney!).  Have a toothache?  You’re off to the dentist.  Leaky pipes result in a call to the plumber.  So why is it that so many people attempt to solve their health and fitness problems without consulting an expert?  I don’t know exactly, but I encourage you to make the investment in yourself – in your quality of life – by hiring a qualified professional to educate you and help you get started.

15 Great Reasons to Exercise

1. Builds confidence. When you’re fit, you project an aura of power, strength and self-esteem which garners respect from others and draws people to you.

2. Improves poise, coordination and balance, especially exercise such as aerobic dance class, circuit training, and in-line skating.

3. Keeps you young. The old saying "You’re only as old as you feel," is true. Studies show that exercise makes you feel more alive and thus feel and look younger.

4. Acts as a natural tranquilizer by releasing endorphins, the "feel-good" hormone.

5. Helps prevent constipation, which is especially helpful for frequent flyers. 
When you reach your destination, go for a walk as soon you arrive at the hotel. And drink lots water. I swear by this routine to keep me "regular."

6. Protects against heart disease by increasing your HDL, or good cholesterol, and lowers your LDL’s or bad cholesterol.

7. Promotes strong bones and helps prevent osteoporosis.

8. Builds a strong heart and lung capacity so you’re healthier from the inside out and better able to fend off disease.

9. Reduces stress and stress-related problems, such as insomnia and anxiety.

10. Gives your skin and hair a more youthful glow.

11. Increases your energy level. In fact, it provides and even bigger "rush" than 3 cups of cappuccino.

12. Increases your metabolism rate so you can eat more without gaining weight.

13. Lowers your blood pressure and reduces your risk of stroke.

14. Increases your intellectual capacity.

15. Finally, exercise can open doors to new experiences and adventures you may once have lacked the strength, stamina, or confidence to enjoy.

Muscleworx Fitness Programs are designed to educate and empower you to gain control of your body, reduce stress, increase energy levels, and improve your overall health and wellness with proven, result producing exercise and nutritional strategies that are also time efficient. Start now and have the body you desire and deserve!

Jason Morgan is an ISSA Certified Fitness Trainer, the owner of Muscleworx Personal Fitness Systems, and welcomes your questions. For more information on the services offered at Muscleworx, you can go to the web site at www.muscleworx.com or call   (910) 458-9950 for a no cost consultation.

Foundational Nutrition: Building Blocks For Your Best Body!

There are three synergistic components that must be present in any result oriented fitness or body transformation program and the one that is perhaps the most confusing is what I refer to as Foundational Nutrition (the other two, as you will soon learn, are moderate aerobic exercise and resistance training).  You're about to develop some clarity in preparing and eating "foundational meals."

By "foundational”, I'm referring to meals that are supportive of metabolism, meals that help maintain stable blood sugar levels, meals that provide optimal energy, and meals that provide material from which you'll build new healthy cells.

In order to get optimal nutrition, nutrition that supports your exercise efforts and boosts your metabolism, you'll want to get meals frequently throughout the day.  When you come to understand that metabolism simply refers to "the speed with which your body burns through food," you'll also understand that if you want to boost metabolism, you have to ask the body to process food often.

I encourage clients to seek a foundational meal every 3 hours.  A foundational meal would be made up of the most natural food choices possible.  It would be free from hydrogenated fat, low in or free from saturated fat, and free from simple sugar and refined flour.  A foundational meal would contain each of the following three elements in visually equal serving sizes:

	Lean Protein
	Starchy Carbohydrate
	Fibrous Carbohydrate

Want some samples?  OK . . . 

Lean Proteins include (but not limited to):

	Chicken Breast
	Turkey Breast
	Egg Whites
	Tuna Fish
	Shellfish
	Most Fresh Fish Filets

Starchy Carbohydrates include (but not limited to):

	Sweet Potato
	Brown Rice
	Oatmeal
	Whole Grains

Fibrous Carbohydrates include (but not limited to):

	Broccoli
	Cauliflower
	Mushrooms
	Peppers
	Onions
	Asparagus

Sample Foundatinal Meals (but not limited to):

	Chicken Breast, Baked Sweet Potato, Broccoli
	A Piece of Fish, Brown Rice, a Green Salad
	Egg White Omelet with Spinach and Mushrooms, Oatmeal
	Sliced Turkey Breast on Whole Grain Pita w/Tomato, Onion, Sprouts

It takes some getting used to, especially if you were raised on the idea of a small breakfast, a moderate lunch and a large dinner.  After a week or two of foundational eating, appetite usually becomes very supportive and an innate intelligence for portion sizes and meal frequency takes over.  The change is sometimes challenging, but it soon becomes simple to adhere to and the benefits speak for themselves.