When it comes to attaining fitness goals, where should you go for help? Who would make the best fitness training buddy? Here’s our take on how to build your fitness dream team to help you achieve your fitness goals.
There are three main companions you can have for your fitness dream team: a personal trainer, training buddies, and a training pet – yes you read that correctly. We’ll discuss each one in turn so you’ll know how to find the best of each. 
A personal trainer is a fitness training professional. The one who’ll teach you how to workout correctly when you first set out to conquer your fitness goals, but you don’t need one every time you workout.
A weekly or fortnightly schedule is enough to get you going on your fitness plan. However, if your fitness plan involves exercises that need individualized supervision such as yoga or Pilates, you might need one more often.
If funds are tight, you might want to get a virtual trainer instead. Many pro trainers have their own exercise videos, whether for cardio, aerobic, strength, or individualized workouts.
Once you’ve settled on a personal trainer, it’s time to find good fitness training buddies. The rule of thumb is to always have more than one. That way, you’ll always have someone in case the other fails to show or drops off. Ideally, find one who shares the same fitness goals as you. Get one who is at the same fitness level so you could encourage each other, and then get one who has a higher fitness level to challenge yourself. If you do multiple types of exercises, i.e. aerobic and weight training, it is ideal to have one buddy for each activity.
- You can find fitness buddies from your family, friends, the office, a sports club, the gym, or your local YMCA. You can even find fitness training buddies online. You can find a buddy to join you in your fitness workout from just about anywhere, really.
Your Canine Training Buddy Will Commit You Daily To Your Fitness Goals
- For dog lovers, you’ll be delighted to know that your pet can help in your fitness program. Dogs are great fitness workout companions. They don’t complain, they’ll follow you wherever you go, protect you, and keep you company.
- If you’d like to get a dog as a fitness training buddy, try a Labrador. It is versatile, dependable, intelligent, and has good disposition. It’s also energetic so you might have to keep up with it instead of the other way around. You may also want to try German Shepherds, Siberian Huskies, Jack Russel Terriers, or Collies as all these breeds love to run.
However, make sure your pet is trained first, and be mindful of their needs, as they can’t tell you what they’re feeling. They might have blistered or scuffed paws, be dehydrated, or tired, so stay sharp. Bring extra water and a drinking cup, and maybe some doggie treats.
Having all these people (and pets) with you makes attaining your fitness goals easier, not to mention more enjoyable.
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Continuing with our fitness goals series, we’ll now discuss fitness equipment. To create an effective fitness plan, you need the correct equipment.
First priority when preparing for your fitness training should be proper exercise apparel. Too many make the mistake of buying equipment first. Keep in mind that your fitness workouts will only be enjoyable if you are comfortable.
Before buying anything, dress yourself up with proper exercise apparel.
- To enjoy your fitness training, choose close fitting and comfortable clothes with sweat absorbing material, such as seamless tank tops. Exercise apparel made with cotton is a good example.
- After apparel, you should select the proper footwear. Use running shoes to jog or run, use cross trainers for indoor exercises.
- Make sure you wear proper close fitting socks to avoid blisters.
Durability is also important, as you might be doing heavy exercising. Make sure you wear something that will last and will not rip or tear while you’re working out.
Essential Outdoor Gadgets
It would be great if you could incorporate outdoor exercises into your fitness plan. The fresh air and change in scenery will do you good mentally and physically.
- When going out for a power walk, run, or bike ride, consider bringing an MP3 player. Good exercise music can help your pace and keep you company on the road.
- Bring a small water bottle or wear a camel pack (small fitting backpack with water and drinking spout) to keep you hydrated.
- Make sure to wear a personal warning device such as bright shirt or reflective vest over your exercise clothes.
- Bring a mobile phone for emergencies and make sure someone knows where you are going or running and what time you should be back. Fitness training and safety do come in hand-in-hand.
Indoor Fitness Training Gadgets
When purchasing equipment, focus on you fitness program. Make sure they are in-line with your fitness program or you’ll end up with white elephants. All you need for your fitness workout is a wide and properly ventilated area in your house, along with a few fitness training gadgets.
The biggest mistake you can make is buying too much too soon. Aim for at least two aerobic and strength training equipment.
- One basic aid you can use inside and outdoor during your fitness workouts is a Pedometer. One good pedometer that has a large display for the visually impaired, a 7 day history so you can see progress (or lack of), calculates calories and distance in addition to steps is the Omron HJ-112 Digital Pocket Pedometer (Amazon affiliate link)
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- For aerobic exercise, try a treadmill, stationary bike, rower, or simple things such as a jump rope, a stepper, or aerobics videos.
- For strength training, there are all-in-one or multi-exercise machines, and weight training bench and barbells. Or for something simpler, buy a range of free-weights and resistance bands. Before buying, make sure you try them out first.
- It is also advisable for you to get at least one soft-foam exercise pad for floor exercises.
- You might also want to stock a variety of aerobic and weight training videos to watch and exercise with to keep things fresh.
Those are of course all just suggestions. You might want to try completing your fitness training equipment slowly, and spread the cost over time. Having the proper fitness training equipment will surely help you achieve your fitness goals in no time. Click Here to take survey
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The First Step to Fitness : Defining your Fitness Goals
It’s inevitable that you will one day have to travel, whether on business or on a family holiday, but that doesn’t mean you should leave your fitness goals behind. Travel can be a great time to explore new places to workout. At the very least, you’ll experience something different in your fitness training.
If you’re staying at a hotel, chances are it has a fitness center where you can do your fitness workout routine. Most hotels now have top-of-the-line equipment and may even offer free sessions with a personal trainer or free exercise classes. Some hotels may have a pools; swimming is an excellent aerobic exercise so do not miss out on this opportunity.
If you’re staying at a motel with no gym, you can go to the nearest park for your fitness workout. Make sure you always bring a pair of running shoes. We’re lucky that we live in a time when running shoes are barely heavier than the socks we wear so there should be no problems there.
If you take your fitness plan seriously, then you should always pack a couple of pieces of fitness training equipment in your luggage.
One light and effective exercise tool would be a jumping rope. It balls up tightly and weighs next to nothing.
You can also get in some nice weight training by bringing resistance bands. They may not do exactly as well as real weights but they’ll give you a good enough fitness workout for the meantime. (Note- please read our review on Bodylastics travel items)
If you have a laptop, make sure you have your fitness workout videos in there. You can hook it up to the speakers on your hotel TV, or just being a fitness video with you and pop it in the room’s DVD player. For floor exercises, you can use the towels or sheets as your mat, but be sure to ask for replacements after (wink).
If you really can’t bring anything, or if you forget, you still have something you can use for your fitness workout: your own body.
- You can do traditional fitness training by running in place, doing jumping jacks, doing push-ups, crunches, squats, lunges and yoga. (Note to reader; if you are interested in yoga, please read our yoga series)
If you’re on a business trip, it’s best to do your planned fitness workouts in the morning. Pack your own sports bars, bring your vitamins and always keep yourself properly hydrated.
Now, say you’re going on a family vacation, it doesn’t mean you need to leave your fitness goals behind. You can still sneak in a workout or two by hiking, biking, boating or simply playing with Frisbees, or touch football. Play is also a form of fitness training you know.
- On the road, one big no-no is disregarding your fitness plan by not eating right. Remember that your diet is directly related to your fitness goals. Of course you should always try the local delicacy but do try avoiding the all-you-can-eat buffets.
With these tips, you won’t have any worries – or excuses – about your fitness goals and not getting your fitness workout done.
In Defining Your Fitness Goals, we focused on the importance of having the proper goals in order to achieve your desired fitness level. Now let’s talk about setting the goal and making it achievable.
While you may be tempted to set a goal that at once audacious and daring, you should always be realistic. Setting the bar very high is sometimes advantageous, as even if you fall short and only reach 50% of your fitness goal, it’s still quite good. That may work for some, but it won’t work for many others. The reason why many people fail to reach their fitness goals is not because of lack of trying, it’s because they get discouraged when they don’t see the developments immediately.
The first thing you need to do is to set your fitness goal to paper. There is something about writing things down that makes them more real, kind of like a contract with your self, instead of just lip service. Write it down, and then make a detailed fitness training plan with specific steps toward reaching it.
Keep your goal ‘visible’ all throughout the day. Post it on your vanity, your dresser, your cubicle or office desk, on the key holder in your house, on the dashboard of your car. Do not allow yourself any time to forget that you are heading towards a goal.
Whatever your overall fitness goal is, you need to break it down into little steps in order to make it achievable and realistic. These are what I like call “Fitness Milestones.” Each fitness milestone is a stepping-stone to your “absolute goal” or main goal.
Make sure you choose a fitness workout that is appropriate for your goal. For example, your main goal is to lose 50 lbs, you can create a fitness plan that will allow you to lose 10 lbs in a month. If you’re goal is to compete in a marathon, you can train to run 5 miles a week, adding 1 mile per week until you reach your desired miles, etc.
To keep your fitness workouts fresh, you can try enlisting the help of an exercise buddy, then switch buddies every now and again. To keep things interesting, reward yourself every time you achieve a fitness milestone. For example, get yourself a nice spa or beauty treatment after every milestone. When you reach your halfway mark, you can make your personal reward extra special. Ramping up the rewards you give yourself can make reaching a goal really enjoyable.
If you’re feeling the strain, take a load off. Taking a break for maybe a day or two won’t impact your fitness program overall, it might even be beneficial as you get to recharge your batteries.
Remember that it’s the journey that counts, and reaching your fitness goal is only the last part. There’s all that time in between that you should enjoy. Succeeding does not have to be all pain and sacrifice. Reaching your fitness goals should be challenging yet fun. Click Here to take survey
