June Fitness Challenge: Renew Your Fitness Goals

Remember those fitness resolutions you made? Probably not, as we're already halfway through the year, which is why June is a fitting month to reevaluate your fitness routine and aim to work a little harder. It's bikini season, after all! Renew your health and fitness goals this week by committing to small but realistic changes that work. Here are a few suggestions to get you started:

1. Fit in an extra long workout

I know this probably wasn’t high on your priority list (“I have to make my workouts longer?”). Plan an after-work hike in the fresh air, challenge yourself to run an extra mile, or sign up for that 90-minute yoga class instead of the usual hour-long one. You may feel rushed all week, but schedule a long workout like you would a social or work engagement to make it happen.

2. Plan your meals for the week

Keep unhealthy snacking and greasy takeout to a minimum this summer by mapping out your food plan for the week.

3. Get more out of your next trip to the gym

Don’t waste any time or effort at the gym – work smarter, not harder, by doing full-body exercises and cardio intervals instead of coasting between machines. You can get a killer workout in just 30 minutes instead of leaving after over an hour and not really knowing whether you truly worked anything sufficiently.

4. Work off that wine

Weekend happy hours are fun, but overindulging never makes you or your waistline happy the next day. Try a fun activity to help you burn off those liquid calories. Pair your night-out with friends with a long stay on the dance floor (and remember to drink lots of water), take a spinning class or swim laps the next morning, or go golfing for an hour (forget the cart – walking will help you burn upwards of 266 calories).

5. Wake up and exercise

Commit to an early morning run or class and reap the benefits of finishing your workout early in the day. Some of my boot camp clients are pros at this by now – they’ve been waking up early for two years just to make it to class three days a week and in doing so have kept weight gain away (and reaped some serious strength rewards).

6. Try a new DVD or OnDemand workout

If you’re stuck inside or pressed for time between social or work events, make some space in your TV room and challenge yourself to try a new fitness DVD or program on cable or satellite. Take advantage of your privacy and work extra hard (no one will see those strange faces you’re making), or switch between workouts if you get bored. Just be sure to stretch before and after as you would in a gym class. For a good fitness DVD resource, check out collagevideo.com.

7. Sleep more to drop those extra pounds

Studies show (yes, there are many of them) that when you sleep less you consume about 300 more calories per day. That’s 2,100 extra calories a week! Plan your week so you can get to bed a little earlier than usual, even if it’s only by 30 minutes.

Meet the Trainer

Crystal is a certified personal trainer through
the National Sports and Conditioning Association (NSCA).
She has a passion for helping others live a healthy lifestyle and coaching tm to push their limits beyond what they
think they are capable of.

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