Empower Blog

We all have times when we 'fall off the wagon' and somehow miss our workouts. There are legitimate reasons why we have to put exercising on the back burner – life happens! The problem is that sometimes once we start down that path, there's no end to the excuses we come up with to take a break from exercising.

Did you know that it takes only about two weeks to start losing your level of cardiovascular fitness when you stop exercising? And that after about three to four weeks without exercise you'll start losing muscle? Don't forget that losing muscle is the worst thing you can do when trying to lose fat!

We already know that exercise is good for us. We try to work out on a regular basis, reminding ourselves that the payoff is well worth the effort. The best advice is really to stay consistent. Make your exercise time a priority – schedule it in your planner, write it on your calendar, block it out so that nothing else can be scheduled in during this time. If you have to miss one session, just make sure you make the next one and get right back into your routine.

Consistency is the key to success in health and fitness. Commit to exercising at least three times each week. Commit to strength training at least twice a week. You made a commitment to yourself that is worth keeping - so keep it!

How would you enhance a basic plan for intermediate or advanced workouts?

Once you have changed the way you feel about your body in motion (click here if you are just beginning your workout routine), you are ready to focus on your plan for your cardio-respiratory fitness.

A perfect place to start is to perform 20 minutes of moderate intensity cardio exercise (walking, swimming, bike riding) a few times a week. Moderate is key—to keep you feeling comfortable and coming back for more. On a self-perception scale of 1 to 10 (0 is resting intensity while 10 represents all out/breathless intensity) – you should keep your intensity 4 to 6. Continue to train there for a few weeks.

Once you are comfortable there you can progress towards the intermediate and advanced levels. This can be done in several ways, but first a quick exercise physiology overview. Our body condition will stay stagnant or stale when it comes to training if you don’t apply the principle of progressive overload to your fitness program. That simply means you need to shift things every few weeks in order to shock the body into improvement.

The FITT Principle is key to progression and variety in training (progressive overload).

• F for frequency
• I for intensity
• T for time or duration
• T for type or mode

Every week or two, you apply a positive shift to one or more of these factors to stimulate your body with a new challenge.

• First increase your training frequency. Instead of walking 3 days per week, you up it to 4.
• A few weeks later up the intensity. Instead of training at a moderate intensity (4 to 6) you up your pace for brief bouts (to 7 or 8) and get a bit winded for a minute here and there.
• A few more weeks go by and you feel the need for more, so you workout a bit more time.
• Last but not least you switch the type of workout you are doing (from walking to jumping rope or stair climbing), making it a whole new challenge to your body.

By applying these small gradual changes to your workout plan every few weeks you will see continual results. If you are looking for a great cardio tool to help you get your program going, try a fitness hoop or walking weights!

E- energy
M-motivation
P-positive attitude
O- optimism
W-wellness
E- enjoyment
R – rejoice

Empower is a verb, which means to enable or invest with power. What a wonderful thought, what an even better action! To enable ones energy, motivation, positive life attitude, and optimism in the face of challenge; while at the same time improving their state of wellness and ability to enjoy life to the degree that they can rejoice in the beautiful, vibrant human they have become. ~ Whew, now that’s a mouth full :)

As I dissect the concept of empowerment I can best relate it to the 7 dimensions of Wellness; a well-known tool used by health educators to help people understand the interrelated components of a healthy lifestyle based on self-responsibility and personal choices. When applying this tool to the goal of personal empowerment it would look like this:

The Empower Wheel

When I relate the 7 dimensions of Empowerment to my own life, I immediately think of those positive things that have made me the active, healthy, strong woman I am today; my family, my friends, my belief in a higher spiritual power. I feel blessed by all the things life has given me, from a healthy body to a loving support system.

But I also realize that the choices I make everyday are interrelated and have a direct impact on the things I hold most dear. I have had the opportunity to learn from the best educators about the power of health and fitness and it’s tremendous impact on the way we think, feel and act. I have also had the opportunity to share my knowledge and empower others towards a healthier lifestyle. In doing so I have tapped my own empowerment wheel… and continue to do so everyday whether it is through the example I set for my family, the workouts I lead in my community, or the knowledge I impart in my writings. By tapping this wheel I am in a continuous state of positive energy. I realize that there are negative forces and bad days that may come along in my life and the lives of those I strive to help. This is when it is even more important to reflect on the empowerment wheel to solve and rise above any challenging or dark days with a sense of optimism and self-fulfillment.

By Heather Hawk

Everyone has different motivational tools and triggers to keep them on track. Some people need accountability to stay consistent. The consistency has never been my obstacle. My challenge is to push myself beyond my threshold whether it’s get those few extra reps or for the extra mile. Over the years I’ve tried several things to help give me an edge. Here are a few of the tricks that motivate me to kick it up a notch:

• Download music that will pump you up. A mix of up-beat and slow doesn’t do it for me, I need songs that we keep me jamming.
• Talk yourself through the tough spots. When I feel I’ve reached a breaking point I remind myself of my goals (sometimes in my head and sometimes out loud) like a lean body or a tight booty – I repeat it over and over to push through the challenge.
• Find a workout partner (or a few). The key is to find a partner that will motivate you as much as you motivate them – you want to push each other rather then holding one another back.
• Remind yourself of the level you’ve achieved in prior workouts. When I find it difficult to hit a prior distance or number of reps I remind myself that I did before so I can do it again – quitting is not an option!