Know Your Body – Know Your Limits – Reap The Rewards
By Joy Eliason Alden, CFT

To reap the rewards of a good workout, you need to do more than just exercise. You need to know your body, know your limits, and work out smart.

An overall workout regimen should encompass the following:

1. Strength training (also know as weight training, resistance training or lifting) – which will increase muscle mass and bone density;
2. Cardiovascular work (a/k/a “cardio”) – which is endurance for your heart muscle plus a calorie burner to help keep bodyfat low;
3. Flexibility exercises – stretching is so very important to help our joints stay healthy and keep their full range of motion, as well as to promote pliable muscles, and to keep the body limber;
4. Balance and functional training – which benefits movement in everyday life in conjunction with the brain/body coordination; and
5. Of course, last but not least, good nutrition to fuel the body.

Fusion training can master all these elements into one workout while continually burning calories. There are many benefits to mixing it up. By incorporating all these variables, boredom does not set in as easily, allowing one to stick with it. “Confusing the muscle,” so to speak, by integrating various forms of exercise will not only give your body the stimulation it needs but will also combat the aging process, ignite your metabolism, help you to remain strong (and/or get stronger), and keep your weight in check. This gives you energy and peace – on top of quality of life and health.

I have had clients who say, “I can’t do that.” I reply, “…yes, you can – we will get you there.” And then by taking the appropriate steps to achieve the goal (the trainer’s responsibility), sure enough, voila! All of a sudden, they are doing what they thought they could not. This brings me so much joy (no pun intended – okay, yes pun) to have them realize what they truly are capable of!

Still, you need to understand your body and its limits. There might be realistic reasons why one person can do something and another can’t. However, if you break it all down and start with the base of the movement, you will be truly amazed to see what you are capable of. And that is one of many reasons to invest in a trainer. A trainer is educated to comprehend the possibilities and the limits, and therefore can guide you while also safeguarding your body from injury. Everyone has different limits, but to know them, understand them, and then work to challenge one’s self from that level is a wonderful compliment to your overall fitness regimen.

So keep with a structure that will challenge you, as well as give you the benefits of good health, lean muscle mass, low bodyfat, supple joints and muscle, and a body that is ready to take on the world – your world!