Better Than Nothing...

“I WAS going to sleep in, but I decided to get a few minutes on the treadmill. I guess 15 minutes is better than nothing...”

No, it’s not.

Fifteen minutes is a waste of time, unless you have gone 120 years without any physical activity WHATSOEVER!

Our bodies are the most complex organism in existence! It takes more than 15 minutes to stimulate our muscles. The heart, lungs, and blood vessels are ALWAYS on cruise control. Walking on the treadmill with the same pace that you walk through the grocery store is not enough. You need to push yourself out of your comfort zone, and break new ground.

Schedule 3-4 hours of your week as “Workout Time”. If you are too tired to lift weights and perform 20-30 minutes of post-workout cardio after work, then wake up earlier! It is as simple as waking up 1.5 hours earlier, slamming down 5-10 grams of BCAA’s, 1 cup of coffee or green tea with lemon, and heading to the gym.

Get 30-40 minutes of weight training on scheduled weightlifting days with your workout partner, Personal Trainer, or by participating in the 360 Strength class. Follow that up with either 20-30 minutes of smooth-and-steady cardio on a 10% inclined treadmill OR the equivalent amount of time on the StepMill between level 6-10 on the Fat Burner Program.

What will waking up early, engaging in consistent weightlifting and cardio sessions, and sticking to a fitness routine along with all your other scheduled appointments do for you? It will keep you so busy that you won’t have time to think, let alone miss a meal or cheat on your diet!

It will leave you so busy that every 2.5-3 hours, like clockwork, you will eat your 4-6 oz. of chicken, 0.25-0.5 cup of brown rice, and 1 cup of green beans OR your 1-2 scoops of protein and 1-2 tbsp of almond butter, because that is what you are scheduled to do!

Turn yourself into the busiest person you can by MAKING time for fitness and proper nutrition. If you need to wake up early, go to sleep early. Don’t press the cruise control button through your day and expect to have the energy to get a proper weight training session in after work or your other duties.

We are constantly bombarded with success stories of women with 5 children, full-time careers, and generally busy lives that lose 50-60 lbs. of body fat and gain 5-10 lbs. of lean body mass to go along with it. How did they do it? They shouldn’t have the time to get 3-4 hours of exercise in their week! HOW DID THEY DO IT? They MADE the time!

Those 5am fitness “nuts” that people always poke fun at are MAKING time to work out. It’s time to quit complaining about your baby-weight or the belly you put on after you quit playing college football. Enough is enough, and it’s time for a change.

Wake up at 5am if work starts at 8am. Wake up at 4am if work starts at 7am. There are millions of people who have accomplished a lot more with a lot less time. So, quit complaining and let's get to work!