Written by Lifestyle Contributor, Andrea Merrill
As a personal trainer for the last 9 years, I’ve seen it ALL at the gym! We all know the people who won’t step foot on a treadmill but will lift weights for 2 hours at a time. I bet you’ve also seen people who are hitting that treadmill hard day after day but won’t go anywhere near the heavy weights. While I applaud anyone who is committed to being at the gym on a regular basis, no matter how they’re working out, I’d like to propose that EVERYONE (myself included) needs to throw something new at their bodies on a regular basis. Doing the same thing day after day and expecting change is the definition of insanity, right? So why do we expect our bodies to change when we’re stuck in the same exercise regimen for decades? What if you made a change to what you’re doing at the gym or at home, or wherever it is that you like to exercise? I did this recently and I can’t tell you how amazing I feel!
A little over a year ago my husband and I endured a major life-changing event, and while it didn’t stop me from working out regularly, it did halt my drive to do anything other than my “usual” routine. For an entire year I went through the motions at the gym. I didn’t go to many classes. I didn’t learn new things to challenge myself. I basically maintained. In good New Years fashion, when 2018 came around I decided that this was going to be the year I would get myself put back together. One of the moves I made was to start working for a new cycling and strength studio called Rebel Ride in Clarence. The facility is amazing and the instructors, every one of them, are outstanding! I got back into indoor cycling – something I had avoided for the past year because of its intensity. I also started teaching new circuit and strength classes which forced me to get creative in my workouts again. Can I tell you how incredible I feel??? I didn’t even realize how much my body and mind had been missing by just going through the motions! Adding cycling classes and these new circuits classes into my weekly routine has totally set me on fire for fitness again. I see my body changing and my energy is through the roof, just like it used to be!
I’m not saying that you need to take spinning, or start going to new classes. What I AM saying is that your body deserves a WAKE UP! If you’ve been doing the same thing for a while, it’s time to shake things up. Try a new sport. Find a workout buddy and take turns creating your workout. Go online and find some great exercise instructors to follow. Do SOMETHING different! Even if it doesn’t change your body, it will absolutely change your mind about exercise.
Some of you are reading this and are ready to dismiss the whole thing because you don’t exercise. I get that. I have a job because of people like you who won’t do it on their own! Start small and with something you actually enjoy. Maybe you need to take a walk on your lunch break instead of eating lunch at your desk. One of my clients uses every commercial break from 8-9 p.m. to do a set of sit-ups in front of the TV. It doesn’t have to be a huge thing. It doesn’t even have to get you out of breath or make you sweat. We are all in different places in our health journey, and what’s important isn’t where you’re starting from – it’s the direction you’re headed that matters. Make one small change, and if your experience is anything like mine has been, you might get excited about getting fit!
I’m giving a free 1 hour High Intensity Interval Training class at Project Lean Nation, 7350 Transit Road, Williamsville, this coming Saturday, March 10 at 11 a.m. It’s open to the public, and it would be a great way for people to change it up and try something new!
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