Better Late Than Never: Gym Lately

With this freezing weather, it's easy to get tired of the monotonous gym routine. That is why during the winter, I find myself having to switch up my workouts in order to stay focused & active. It's easy to make excuses but I hope some of these tips and cute workout clothes will make your time spent on the treadmill a little bit more enjoyable!

1. Try a Class

It's a proven fact that you work harder working out around others. Classes offered by your gym can be a great way to swtich up the routine and revive any lost motivation. Some of my favorites include Athletic Conditioning, Cycling, & Hot Yoga. Whether you want an old high school practice, kick-your-butt class like Athletic Conditioning to an intense stretching, yet challenging session like Hot Yoga there are a variety of classes that meet every need!

2. Break it Up - Use Different Machines

Treadmill = boring. Treadmill + Eliptical + Stair Stepper = exciting. Instead of mindlessly spending your entire allocated workout time on one machine - mix it up! I can workout twice as long with an interval routine simply for the pure excitement of the change in workout. Try 15 minutes on the elliptical as a warm up, 15 minutes on the stair stepper at high intensity to kick your butt, and then 15 minutes to cool it down at the highest incline the machine will let you go at a 4.5 mph pace.

3. Break it Up - On the Same Machine

If it's a busy night at the gym, you might not have the luxury of jumping from one machine to the other. Instead, break up your workout on one machine.

Elliptical - choose a hill workout to break up both the intensity and incline, then pedal forward for 7.5 min, backward for 7.5 and repeat. Youll instantly feel a difference in muscles being worked by pedaling backwards!

Treadmill - start at a 4.5 min pace at the highest incline the treadmill will go for your workout. After 10 minutes, lower the incline and bust out the fastest pace you can go for another 10. Finally, finish off the last 10 minutes however you like. Whether its a light jog, back to an intense incline, or just walking it out the interval training is fantastic for your heart.

Stair Stepper - I have a slight obsession with the stair stepping machine. Not the ones that simply go up and down (never really have gotten the hang of those) but I am talking about the ones that actually move like stairs as you go. Bust the level up to at least a 10 right off the bat. Continue stepping normally for 2.5 min. After that, switch to every other step for 2.5 min. Finish off the last two minutes of the interval by facing the right and stepping sideways for a minute and facing left the last minute. Repeat this sequence as many times as you can.

4. Strength Training

Machines are boring when it comes to strength training. Instead, utilize free weights! Here is my typical routine:

Arms: 12 lb set of weights

30 side to side lowers

20 bicep curls (rotating left and right arm)

10 fly wings (rotating left and right arm)

15 overhead dips - works triceps & back muscles

Legs: 30 lb bar over shoulders

15 squats

20 lunges (alternating legs)

30 calf raises

Abs:

30 second plank

50 bicycle crunches

50 heel touches

50 normal crunches

5. Workout Gear

If you look better, you feel better! So treat yourself to some cute, new workout gear and get back to the gym! Here are some of my winter favorites

Asics - GT 2000
$120.00