Who Else Wants a Home Fitness Plan

When you're working out, there are a few things you should consider.

1. How to work out safely
2. What exercises to do
3. How to do the exercises correctly
4. How to stay motivated
5. How to measure progress

1. Fitness Safety

• Be Sure to Warm Up (5-10 minutes)
  Start out slowly, and gradually pick up the pace as your body warms up. For example, if you're heading out on a 30-minute moderate walk, spend the first 5 minutes at a slower pace, then speed up to moderate.
• Cool Down (5-10 minutes)
  After your workout, gently stretch the main muscles you used during exercise. Hold each stretch for 12 to 15 seconds. Don't bounce. Stretch to the point just before discomfort; if the stretch is painful, you're pushing too hard.
• Drink Water
  Avoid dehydration by drinking fluids before, during and after physical activity. On hot days, don't exercise in the middle of the day. Wear light-colored, loose, comfortable clothing so body heat can easily escape.
• Dress appropriately for the weather/climate to prevent illness. Get affordable workout gear at Kilimall
• Consider exercising with a buddy
• Carry a phone in case of emergency
• Exercise in familiar areas where you know the surroundings and terrain
• Plan to start slowly and boost your activity level gradually unless you are already exercising frequently and vigorously.
• Be aware that training too hard or too often can cause overuse injuries like stress fractures, stiff or sore joints and muscles, and inflamed tendons and ligaments. A mix of different kinds of activities and sufficient rest is safer.
• Listen to your body. Hold off on exercise when you're sick or feeling very fatigued. Cut back if you cannot finish an exercise session, feel faint after exercise or fatigued during the day, or suffer persistent aches and pains in joints after exercising.
• Choose clothes and shoes designed for your type of exercise. Replace shoes as cushioning wears out.
• For strength training, good form is essential. Initially use no weight, or very light weights, when learning the exercises. Never sacrifice good form by hurrying to finish reps or sets, or struggling to lift heavier weights.
• Delayed muscle soreness that starts 12 to 24 hours after a workout and gradually abates is a normal response to taxing your muscles. By contrast, persistent or intense muscle pain that starts during a workout or right afterward, or muscle soreness that persists more than one to two weeks, merits a call to your doctor for advice.

2. Types of Exercises
a. According to Type
Endurance Training
These help to increase your breathing and heart rate. They keep your heart, lungs, and circulatory system healthy and improve your overall fitness. Building your endurance makes it easier to carry out many of your everyday activities. For instance aerobics, running/jogging, dancing etc.
Strength-training
They make your muscles stronger. They may help you stay independent and carry out everyday activities, such as climbing stairs and carrying groceries. These exercises also are called "strength training" or "resistance training." For instance lifting weights, using body weights or resistance bands etc.
Flexibility Training
They stretch your muscles and can help your body stay limber. Being flexible gives you more freedom of movement for other exercises as well as for your everyday activities. For instance Yoga, Arm & Leg Stretches etc.
Balance Training
Simply improves your balance.

b. According to Style

• Cardio

These exercise involves performing continuous movements with large muscle groups, such as your legs, for 20 minutes or more. Cycling, swimming, rowing, walking or jogging are forms of aerobic exercise. You may perform aerobic exercise to increase your cardiorespiratory endurance or lose weight. Low-intensity aerobic exercise sessions that last at least 45 minutes are ideal for weight loss, according to the National Federation of Personal Trainers.

• Body-building

This type of exercise involves performing fewer, and more intense, muscle contractions than endurance exercise. For example, heavy weightlifting exercises exhaust your muscles after fewer contractions, because each contraction is particularly intense.

• HIIT/Circuit Training

This usually combines two types of exercises, normally strength-training with endurance exercise.

• Pilates

This stabilizes and strengthens your core. The exercises are usually done in a specific order, one right after another. The movements have names, like "The 100," Criss-Cross," the "Elephant," and the "Swan."

The moves may look simple, but they take a lot of precision and control. Pilates’ main focus is on core however, you can expect to see strength gains in your arms and legs.  Positions and movements used to activate core rely on extremities to control &/or apply loads to the core and likewise will benefit from Pilates.



c. According to Body Parts

• Glute Exercises
• Ab Exercises
• Thigh/Leg Exercises
• Chest/Arm Workouts

d. According to Body Part Combination

• Lower Body Exercises
• Upper Body Exercises

3. Workout Form
Proper form when working out is essential to avoid injuring yourself during exercises.

Always follow the instructions of the instructor – in our case Kelly or David from fitness blender.Tip

1. Pause the video if you need to.
2. Watch the video ahead of the workout session to familiarize yourself with the specific workouts

4. Discipline
How do you remain motivated and be disciplined?

• Set realistic, fitness-related goals for yourself – Write them down, both long-term and short-term
• Look for an accountability partner
• Don’t miss a workout scheduled for Monday – it sets the tone for the week.
• Don’t miss a workout for more than three days. Which is to say that one of your workout days has to be Friday and the other Monday.
• Celebrate the little wins, e.g. completing a workout session you previously could not finish.
• Schedule your workouts just like you would a Doctor and never miss an appointment
• Track your changes – See my FREE Fitness Tracker Spreadsheet
• Repeat positive affirmations to yourself during exercise. For instance – I can do this, I can complete this.
• Pack your workout clothes (or lay them out) the night before.
• Give Ksh. 2,000 to your friend. If you miss a workout, they will donate it to the political candidate you neither like nor support.
• Be patient – you will note loose 10kgs overnight. Also, just as we gain weight at different rates, we also loose it at different rates.
• Eat regularly and healthily
• Forgive yourself and move forward

5. Fitness Tracker

While weighing yourself still remains to be a good indicator of weightloss, it may not necessarily be an encouraging method. This is mainly because fats weigh less than muscle. During the fitness program I have recommended, strength training will build muscles therefor cancelling out the weight of fat. In other words, When you strength train and eat properly, your body tends to only shed fat while keeping and building on the muscle you already have.

Instead I recommend measuring yourself – your waist, arm, hips, belly. If you do not have time for this, measure your progress by how your clothes fit you.

TipWhen working out, it takes 4 weeks for you to see any changes. It takes your close family 8 weeks and others, it will take them 12 weeks to notice. BE KIND TO YOURSELF.

The  FREE Home Fitness Plan/Routine - is mostly for those in the beginner/intermediate level. Feel free to customize the Workout Routines to suit your level. Click Here to DOWNLOAD the FREE HOME FITNESS PLAN

The FREE Fitness Tracker - requires to be filled out daily. But who has time for that? I only fill it out on Mondays & Fridays. But be sure to measure your weight first thing in the morning. Click Here to DOWNLOAD the FREE HOME FITNESS TRACKER

DISCLAIMER: Please contact your physician before attempting any of the workouts or detox programs in this blog. I am not a physician and therefore I'm not in any position to give you advice, this blog is a documentation of what I did and how I did it.

If you need help configuring any of the documents, contact me.

Take it one day at a time and enjoy the journey.

Xoxo,
Miss Cherono