Getting Started | Amber Keinath

How is your week going so far? While I am sure you’re busy running around before the holidays with all the parties, shopping, and spending time with loved ones, I bet you are starting to think about ringing in the New Year as well. Have you decided on any resolutions yet?

Are you up for a challenge? (Directions at bottom of post)

A common New Year’s Resolution is getting to the gym more to workout. That is half the battle! But how do you make the most of your workout time at the gym?

There is no sense in wasting your valuable time if it isn’t going to help you lose weight, get toned, or just get healthy, is there? So, how do you make sure you are doing the exercises that will help you best reach your goals?

In order to get a customizable workout that takes into account your current health status and body shape, it is best to hire a personal trainer. They can run from $30+ per session, but most gyms offer a free session for just joining the gym. If you haven’t taken advantage of your free session yet, I highly recommend you start off the new year with a personal trainer.

Why would you want to work with a Personal Trainer?

They can help you meet a goal such as lose weight, run a 5k, or get you in shape for sports.
They can customize a workout for those with special health conditions such as heart disease, diabetes, injuries, or women who are pregnant.
They can help you determine your current fitness status and help you improve it!

How do you choose a Personal Trainer?

Look for one with a Personal Training Certification from organizations such as ACSM, ACE, NASM, or NSCA.
Choose one with the specialization for your current health condition (i.e. pregnancy, postpartum, injury, heart disease, etc.)
Determine how many years of experience they have and any experience in your specific condition.
Make sure they have liability insurance just in case something happens while you are on their watch.
Determine the location you would like to work out at such as a gym, in-home, health center, weight loss clinic, etc.
See if the Personal Trainer has a trial session to make sure your PT is a good fit and will best help you! Remember, it is all about you getting the help you need to reach your goals.
A great Personal Trainer will devise a customizable workout plan, will help you evaluate your progress, gives you direct answers and in terminology you can understand, is a good teacher, is patient, and is someone who cares about helping you reach your goals.

The key is finding someone who fits well with you and your goals.

As you get ready for the New Year, decide on your resolutions and make sure they are doable. There is no sense in making resolutions that are too hard to reach. Make your goals short term and reachable.

For example, if you think you need to lose 50 pounds. Don’t make your goal ‘I will lose 50 pounds by March’. That is a big goal to reach and if you don’t reach it, you may become discouraged. Instead, make your goal I will lose 10 pounds in the next 6 weeks. This goal is smaller and easier to achieve. Once you achieve this goal, you will be more motivated to stick with your program and keep working your way to those 50 pounds.

New Year’s Resolution Motivation Tip: Start with small goals!

Ready for that challenge?

Let’s help each other stick to our New Goals for 2012! It’s easier to do things together than alone!

To your healthy & fit life,

P.S. If you have a question about fitness or a starting a ‘get in shape plan’, and would like to see your question answered on this blog, send your question to Amber or contact Amber on Facebook, Google+, or Twitter!

Searching for the right gym to become a member of does not have to be intimidating if you do your research first and know what to look for when you start visiting the different gyms.

Cities can have thousands of different gyms to choose from, so how do you know which gym will help you reach your goals the best?

The first thing you must do is to right down your goals.

Do you want to lose weight or are you looking to build your strength and get toned? Are you looking for more classes or more weight machines?

Before you even go driving around trying out different gyms, it is important to get your ultimate goal in place first.

Next, it is important that you don’t just join a gym because your best friend is a member there. Even if the gym is having a great promotional discount for new members, it is important that you shop around and find the best gym for your pocket book that will help you achieve your health goals.

So what are the top 10 things to look for when shopping around for YOUR gym?

Location and Hours

In order for you to have the best chance at visiting the gym frequently and therefore having the best chance of reaching your health goals, it is important to choose a gym with a convenient location and hours that fit your schedule.

One rule of thumb is to only choose a gym within a 2 mile radius of your home. The close the gym, the more likely you are to attend on a regular basis. Different gyms have different operating hours which means you can pick and choose a gym that is open during the hours that are most convenient for you to go.

If it has normal business hours and you work a full time job, it might make it near impossible to work out during the week.

Friendly Staff

The staff can set the tone for your entire experience. If you want to succeed in reaching your goals, it is important to choose a place where the staff is friendly. When visiting the gyms, observe what the staff is doing.

Are they helping out the other members or are they just sitting around talking to the other personal trainers?

The staff is the key to answering any questions you may have about the equipment or any questions that may come up later on down the road that is key for your overall success. Make sure you are setting yourself up for success and not some more failure.

Cost

What is the point of joining that awesome popular gym when it is just going to kill your finances? It is better to join a smaller gym that won’t break the bank but will give you the encouragement to keep going at it!

Make sure you look for hidden costs such as initiation fees, length of commitment, cancellation fees, etc.

The other thing to be aware of is at the bigger gyms, you are most likely paying more due to the wide array of amenities, many of which you probably do not need. Take a look of what you really need in a gym.

Additional Benefits of Membership

Gyms come in all shapes, sizes, and amenities. Make a list of the amenities you would like in a gym and stick with it. You probably do not need all the extras which sound great but are they truly necessary for your budget?

Some possible amenities that gyms include are kid programs, classes, spa services, and nutritional counseling. Choose the gyms that have what you want but beware you aren’t paying for all those fancy services you don’t need.

Enough of Your Equipment

The best way to make sure you are joining a gym that will have open equipment at the times you will be working out is to visit and get the tour of the gym during that time. Take a look around to see if they have the equipment that you want to use and that it is open during the times you will most likely be using them.

Personal Training

The majority of gyms out there offer a free personal training session with every new membership. Take advantage of this even though you may already consider yourself a fitness expert. It is always a great idea to run things by another fitness expert.

The other benefit to taking advantage of this session is that someone else is there watching your form and making sure you are doing the exercises correctly which will help prevent injuries.

Classes Available

Classes at the gyms are some of the most fun ways you can get a great workout without the boring tradition of running on the treadmill. Take a look at the different classes offered and if any of them sound interesting to you.

They may be a great way to boost your workout when you are feeling bored or that you have hit a plateau. Some great classes to try are piyo, Pilates, yoga, Zumba, Turbo Kick, and many more!

Experiment and have fun!

Type of Gym

There are many different types of gyms available such as sports focused gyms, women only gyms, gym and spa, etc.

Some of the specialty gyms may cost more, but if it meets all your needs to get the results you want and it does it in an appealing way, it may be worth the small added fee. If you are a woman who hates working out at a gym, it might help boost your motivation and self confidence to be able to work out with only other women.

Try to find that one thing you could have in a gym that will help you best reach your goals.

Showers, Locker Rooms, Childcare, etc.

One of the best things you can do while looking around a gym before signing up for a membership is to really check out their showers, locker rooms, and childcare rooms. Make sure these rooms are very clean. These are most likely to be the dirtiest areas and if they are clean, you can rest assured that the gym overall will be a cleaner place.

Who wants to work out in filth? Make sure they also have spray bottles to clean equipment after use and that people actually use them!

Get a Buddy

And there is nothing better than a gym that helps to keep you motivated to reach your goals than a gym that you visit with a friend. Having a gym buddy will further motivate you to go work out and will make it a lot more fun!

Well, those are the top 10 things to look for when shopping around for your gym of choice. It is important to choose a gym that will best help you achieve your goals. What’s the point of joining a gym because you heard it was good, but then it is dirty, it is too busy that you can hardly every get on equipment, and they have no extra amenities that you would like in order to best meet your needs?

What do you think of this list? Is there anything else you would add to this list to help someone else choose a great gym? Leave a comment below and let me know!

To your life, health, and prosperity,

P.S. Get Healthy, Lose Weight, and have FUN with a 90-Day Challenge. Join me by Clicking Here! Find and connect with me on my Facebook fan page and on Twitter!

So, you are ready to get started back with a great workout so you can get back into shape! That’s great! Let’s get started!

(If you have any chronic disease or underlying medical condition, you must consult with your doctor before you start anything new)

Let’s get started with what you need to do in order to get started with a workout routine and make sure you are successful.

Determine your ‘why’.
Write down your goals and make them measureable so you will be able to tell when you reach them!
Plan your course of action!
What is your current fitness level?
Permanent marker these workouts into your schedule. This way you are committed to doing them because you have already set the appointment in your schedule.
Find a buddy to workout with you or hold you accountable.
Ready! Set! Go! Planning is good, but doing = results!
1. Aerobic (Cardio) training
2. Strength training
3. Balance training
4. Flexibility training (stretching)
5. Core training

Now get out there, write down your goals, plan your course of action, and get working out already!

Leave me a comment below answering this question of the day: What is your favorite type of workout?

To your health journey success,

P.S. If you are ready to learn more about how to create a life of health and wellness, join me by Clicking Here! Find and connect with me on my Facebook fan page and on Twitter!

So, you are going to start back at the gym with your New Years Resolution? Great!

Here is a list of the top 5 mistakes people make at the gym. Make sure you don’t do these!

#1: Not drinking enough water during your workout! If you are thirsty you are already dehydrated. Make sure you are drinking water throughout the day!

#2: Eating energy bars or drinking sports drinks! These are great when you are running a marathon, but when you are just doing a moderate workout session, they add extra calories that you just don’t need to deal with. Stick to water.

#3: Not stretching. Make sure your stretch just after your cardio workout because your muscles are warm and stretching will help prevent injury.

#4: Not warming up enough. Your body needs to ease into a workout. Start slow and then increase your activity. Let your muscles warm up!

#5: Not cooling down after your workout! Your muscles are warm and need this time to stretch and your heart rate to come down. This will help your body be ready for your next workout!

Make sure you don’t find yourself doing these 5 things at the gym and you will have a much better workout and your body will be ready to go for your next workout!

Leave me a comment below, subscribe to my youtube channel, and don’t forget to share this video with your friends.

To your health journey success,

P.S. If you are ready to learn more about how to create a life of health and wellness, join me by Clicking Here! Find and connect with me on my Facebook fan page and on Twitter!

Did you know that 64% of the U.S. population is overweight or obese? Isn’t it time to do something about it?

When we are controlling our weight, we are on a journey for life! Many of us have tried a million different diets or whatever the new fad weight loss scheme has hit the market. And where has it led us? We have a major epidemic in our country of overweight Americans who would love to lose weight and feel good about themselves, but are on the continual struggle. Are you finding yourself part of this group? Are you frustrated and don’t know where to turn?

Don’t lose hope! You are not alone! Remember, 64% of your peers are in the same position. You CAN find success!

So where do we start?

Make small changes in your lifestyle first. How about having a goal of taking a walk after dinner? How about taking the stairs instead of the elevator? Every small change makes a difference! Get creative!

Debunking weight loss methods: dieting is not a better method for losing weight than increasing physical activity.

A recent study found groups that focused on increasing physical activity lose more weight than those who focused on dieting.

So what does this mean for you?

Both physical activity and dieting are important for weight loss. What I find to be best is to get a pedometer and see if you can walk 10,000 steps a day. If you do, congratulations! You are reaching a level of daily physical activity that is healthy!

Next, make healthier food decisions by increasing whole wheat, fruits, vegetables, lean meats, and decreasing enriched bread/pasta, processed and packaged foods, and red or processed meats. The best cooking methods are baking and grilling. They use the least amount of fat and are the healthiest form of cooking your food. You are on your way to healthy eating!

Remember there are so many ways to be healthy. The possibilities are endless. This is your time to get creative, have fun, and you will see the weight drop off!

Review:

Make small changes to your health.

Make 4 or 5 small goals about healthy eating and activity that you will do at one time. Anything more than that will overwhelm you and set you up for failure.

Beat boredom by changing it up! Get creative with what foods and activities you try! You may find something that you actually like!

Share this post with your friends! Leave a comment below and let me know what you think about losing weight and what works best!

To your health,

P.S. If you are ready to learn more about how to create a life of health and wellness, join me by Clicking Here! Find and connect with me on my Facebook fan page and on Twitter!