Hey everyone! My name is Lance and I am a senior journalism major.
This semester I will blog about exercise, nutrition and how to stay in shape. Working out should never be a chore among college students, so check out my blog posts every week for workout tips, exercise demonstrations and other advice to help keep you looking good and feeling less stressed.
January Blues
It's January -- school is back and most likely your workout experience is not what you expected it to be. It's freezing outside and the lines to the cardio room, weight room, fitness classes and even to get a locker are a mile long. You need to get a workout in, but everything is taken because it is too crowded.
For those early-semester gym blues, here are some suggestions to help you get in the right mindset for working out along with how to beat the crowds and avoid wasting time.
Getting in shape is not a short sprint diet -- it's a marathon lifestyle change
So you haven't been to the gym since December... or maybe even longer. It's a new year, a new you and what better way to improve your self esteem and body's appearance than hitting the gym and getting in shape.
Before you tie your shoes and start blaring "Eye of the Tiger," there are some important things you have to consider before hitting the gym.
As I will go further in depth next week, diets DO NOT work in helping people get in shape. Changing your lifestyle, however, will.
Whether your goal is to burn fat, bulk up or get stronger, you must set realistic goals and tailor your lifestyle toward meeting them. If your plan is to drop 15 pounds by the end of March, going out five nights a week drinking all over Midtown and feasting on Five Star to finish the night isn't conducive toward that goal.
Minor lifestyle changes such as walking or riding a bike to class instead of taking the bus along with drinking diet versions of your favorite beverages will go a long way toward helping you reach your goal.
Once you have come up with a fitness goal and are committed to changing your lifestyle, it's time to hit the gym. But therein lies the problem: You and everyone else has the same idea in mind and you find yourself in a logjam trying to get in.
Beat the crowd
January and September are typically the busiest months for UF's facilities and for good reason: Students want to make good on keeping their New Year's resolution and start getting in shape for spring break. The gyms are most crowded during the hours when people are done with class but before they get some dinner. This usually ranges from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m.
To avoid large crowds, try going either in the mornings when the gym opens or, if you're like me, try to get there in the early afternoon from 11 to 3:30. You can always check UF's Rec sports Web site to see how crowded it is before you go.
Have a plan before you get to the gym
Unfortunately students who casually workout pack the gym during peak hours the first couple of weeks of school and by February don't come at all. They'll maybe be back in March for a week to get ready for spring break and then will really trail off come April when finals roll around.
Why the drop off? Aside from the stress that school brings, often time students have a goal, but they lack a plan when they get to the gym. When you don't have a plan, it is easy to get confused and quit.
But the people who stay in shape year round set fitness goals and diligently follow a plan to reach those goals. They are also very efficient with time management and make their health a top priority.
So come up with a plan for that day, stick to it and give yourself enough time to accomplish that plan.
For example, Monday is a popular day to do chest and triceps for the guys, so exercises like the bench press, dumbbell flys and skull crushers are exercises that work those particular muscles.
Two's company, three's a crowd
If you are going to workout with other people, fantastic, but no more than two to a group.
Having a workout partner is great because it keeps both people motivated and they can accomplish their fitness goals together. However a common problem among newcomers is that they go in groups of four or even five and all do the same activity at the same station.
When you do any sort of exercise, minimal rest in between sets (about 30 seconds) keeps the heart rate up and helps burn fat. When there's more than two people in a group and you find yourself waiting up to several minutes between sets, your heart rate slows down and you waste time.
Don't overdo it
Granted everyone has different goals when they come to the gym, but there is no need to workout for three hours every single day of the week. More time spent in the gym doesn't necessarily mean more muscle and less fat. According to the American College of Sports Medicine's Web site, your body will receive all the benefit it is going to get from a workout in an hour, so anything longer than that is unnecessary.
It's also unnecessary to train for every single day of the week if you're just starting out because resting in between workouts is vital for the muscles to repair and grow.
So if you're just starting out, try going at least three days a week and spend about 20 minutes doing cardiovascular exercise and then another 40 in the weight room. After training a group of muscles, let them rest between 48 and 72 hours so they won't be as sore the next time you workout.
Check back next week when I go over how to continue staying in shape outside the gym with proper nutrition and supplementation.
Stay healthy, Gators!
