(True story: massive debts built in college lead to massive accumulated debt once you become a married couple with kids to raise. I freely admit that I have a lot of work to do to get as financially fit as I am physically. That said, I have always been a sucker for being creative and using this rather expensively built brain my mama paid for to get the job done minus a gym membership).
So, back to my obsessiveness.
For those of you who might not know it, I am a football fan....wait, let me rewind that statement, I am more than a football fan, I am a GEORGIA BULLDOG fan! I love the Bulldogs and I love talking Bulldog football on college football Saturdays in the fall. And, one of my favorite all-time players is former Georgia Bulldog running back Herschel Walker.
Walker grew up in the rural south, and he didn't have access to great equipment or fitness programs. However, he never let that stand in the way of his success. And though many have questioned the truthfulness of his claims over the years, I believe it when he says he never used a weight or supplement to look like the physically chiseled specimen he did whilst playing running back for the University of Georgia because my personal experience planning and executing my own fitness plan has proven to many around me that much is possible if you're truly motivated.
That said, if you don't have a structured environment to walk into everyday, you have to be diligent in finding new techniques and avenues by which you can better assist your body in reaching it's potential.
At present, my home gym consists of several sets of dumbbells, a 20-lb barbell, a pilates ball, and an exercise bike. Those are my staples. However, using just those items, I am able to create a diverse workout routine that helps me build muscle, increase physical stamina, and tone and lift the parts that I most wish to emphasize when the weather is warm.
For example:
(using 20 lb dumbbells)
shrugs: 1 set/15 reps
100 jumping jacks
shrugs: 1 set/15 reps
rest :20
curls: 1 set/12 reps
100 high knee runs in place
curls: 1 set/12 reps
rest :20
overhead tricep extension: 1 set/12 reps
Mountain Climbers for 30 seconds
overhead tricep extension: 1 set/12 reps
rest 1:00
The above is the upper body portion of my workout from last week.
I always do full body workouts because that works well for me and each workout typically includes 6-8 exercises per muscle group. So on that particular day I also did arms, legs, glutes, back, and abs. It was a 70 minute workout with a total rest time of 5:00 minutes.
Some days I increase the sets and decrease the repetitions just so I'm not overtaxing my muscles—leaving them susceptible to injury.
This is an approach that has worked well for me and I'm fairly satisfied with the results I've attained over the last year or so.
My point in sharing this with you is only to say that if you're honest about your fitness goals and you truly want to make a positive change to your body, you have to be willing to think outside the box.
My dedication to getting my family financially fit and debt free means that I am less inclined to spend money on luxuries like going to the gym. That's the plain and simple of it. But by no means am I willing to let that be an excuse for me to not feel or look how I want.
Nuff' said.
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