By Claudienne Peterson
~ So many choices ~
Recently googling fitness trends for 2016, I was taken aback as I realized that we really do live in an era of choices. If you think hard about it, fitness- and beauty-wise, you almost always have a choice; but now more than ever with the freedom of the internet, the help of YouTube and various bloggers and Instagrammers, there is really no excuse to not be motivated. Not only that but there’s no excuse period. So much good free information and tutorials are out there that you can’t really use your budget as an excuse!
Whether it’s cool, new, high-tech stuff like apps that give instant nutrition info, or going back to basics with whole foods, or the dairy milk versus plant-based milk debate, we have more information than ever being shared to customize our very own health and beauty lifestyles!
Of course, budget, season and location can be limiting, but not THAT much. More than ever, we have necessary info at our fingertips: What’s the best produce to buy organic options, locally- or even home-grown? New eating plans for your lifestyle (and, no, you don’t have to do the powders, bars and supplements) or Paleo eating and spinoffs like the “Whole 30” or the “Badass Body” diet and more are springing up round the place, giving people hope. And you don’t even HAVE to make a purchase; you can research just about anything you want to know on YouTube, bloggers or via some clever Googling.
You can do the “Insanity,” the “Px90,” and now there are shorter, don’t-feel-like-exercise dance workouts such as “Cise.” These and other shorter, higher intensity workout plans show that the fitness industry seems to also be making fitness easier and faster than ever for everyone!
So, why aren’t we all buff, ripped, cellulite-free, happy-with-ourselves and super healthy? I think it’s because we are missing the things you can’t really pay for: Discipline, consistency and motivation! Unless your trainer lives with you and watches your every movement, it’s left up to you to wake up early and squeeze in those 30-60 minutes of exercise. Are you going to make up that time at another part of the day if you don’t?
I’m not taking anything away from all the awesome trainers out there, but for the many, who just don’t have the budget, the key to working out is motivation and discipline combined with healthful eating! That’s the reality for most people with a family and one or more fulltime jobs. What about people who don’t have “extra help” or any help at all? Single parents? What about them? Am I saying that they lack focus and discipline? I don’t know; I don’t live with them! But having lived in similar situations, I do know that if you are desperate or “hungry” to meet a particular fitness/aesthetic goal, you WILL find a way to do it!
Try tabatas; all you need is four minutes – a super intense, feels-like-you’re-dying “four minutes” – that will make a huge difference. It’s better than doing nothing; spread those four minutes throughout the day. C’mon, you have four minutes to spare here and there.
What about 50 squats? Okay-okay, 25 squats – deep, slow squats, squats you can feel during and especially after. Not sure about your form? Check out YouTube! Knowing I have a newborn, one fitness buddy of mine advised, “When you get a chance to shower, do squats, about 25-50, then hop into the shower. That’s your time; use it well!” She’s right. If you are desperate, you will do little things here and there.
So how desperate are you? How much do you want it? Do you want to reach a certain fitness goal? Prove it to YOURSELF! You want to lose a certain amount of weight? Prove it to YOURSELF! You want to build muscle, maybe a rounder booty or super firm arms? Prove it to YOURSELF! Get interested, do some research and start surrounding yourself with people who represent the goals you want to achieve.
LEARN and DO! Don’t leave for tomorrow what you can do today! Excuses only make YOU (not the people you are giving excuses to) miserable!
Just a little motivation from this Health & Beauty Coordinator: We have many choices; take them and use them. Why not start today? Next Health & Beauty, I’ll focus more on food!
If you want to share your fitness goals and/or accomplishments with the public, write to me at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
