I've discussed many times in the past how important it is to give your absolute best when you do your weekly workouts. Each one should be more intense than the one that came before. This is the best way to make certain that we are continually improving our level of fitness, and getting that much closer to our goals.
Anyway, I want to spend some time today discussing those days "in-between" your workouts, when you may not be sure exactly what you should or should not be doing.
First, I want to share with you 3 "rules" about your light activity days, then I'm going to give you lots of examples of different activities and exercises you can do on those days.
Sound good? Okay, Let's go . . .
Your first rule of light activity days is...
Don't do Too Much - You have to remember that the days in-between your regular workouts serve two main purposes. First and foremost, these are your rest and recovery days. This means that during those days, your body will be in full recovery mode, rebuilding muscle tissue, regulating your resting heart rate and getting you all prepped and ready for your next big workout. Second, these days are for maintaining a certain level of activity which doesn't compete with the work done on your workout days. If you do an activity that is too strenuous on your day off, you will impede your recovery from the previous workout, as well as diminish the effort you are able to put forth in your next workout. Keep your light day activities just as the name suggests...light.
Follow the 30 Minute Guideline - While you want to be certain your off-days aren't competing with your workouts, you also don't want to do so little that it makes it difficult to get back into the swing of things for your next workout either. In order to maintain what you've accomplished, and not lose any momentum moving forward, you should aim for around 30 minutes of uninterrupted activity on your light days. You may have to do some trial and error with this in order to find a good balance for yourself. This leads me to your final light day rule...
Change it Up and Make it Fun - Finding an activity you enjoy is the real key to having light days which are both productive for your fat loss success, as well as fun for you. So, my advice is to try and find something different to do each light activity day, or possibly find a few different activities and rotate through them on a regular basis. Heck, whatever works to keep you doing it is what's important, right? Finally, make sure you're having fun with it. If not, you will get bored and soon your light activity days will consist of laying on the couch and exercising your thumb on your TV remote! Don't get bored, get busy!
So, now that you're in the know about the "rules," I want to share a whole whack of fun exercises and activities that you can do on your light days. There are 26 in total, one for each letter of the alphabet . . . enjoy!
Apple picking
Bike riding
Cutting the grass (push mower)
Digging
Egg toss :)
Fast walking
Gardening
Horseback riding
Incline walking
Jumping rope
Kettlebell swings
Low impact aerobics
Martial arts
New activity you haven't done before
Organize a group activity
Play outside with the kids
Quickly run up a flight of stairs (repeat a few times)
Road hockey
Skateboarding
Tee up for a round of golf (walking with push cart)
Un-clutter your home
Vacuum
Work in the garden
X-nay sitting on your butt
Yard work
Zip-lining
Anyway, I want to spend some time today discussing those days "in-between" your workouts, when you may not be sure exactly what you should or should not be doing.
First, I want to share with you 3 "rules" about your light activity days, then I'm going to give you lots of examples of different activities and exercises you can do on those days.
Sound good? Okay, Let's go . . .
Your first rule of light activity days is...
Don't do Too Much - You have to remember that the days in-between your regular workouts serve two main purposes. First and foremost, these are your rest and recovery days. This means that during those days, your body will be in full recovery mode, rebuilding muscle tissue, regulating your resting heart rate and getting you all prepped and ready for your next big workout. Second, these days are for maintaining a certain level of activity which doesn't compete with the work done on your workout days. If you do an activity that is too strenuous on your day off, you will impede your recovery from the previous workout, as well as diminish the effort you are able to put forth in your next workout. Keep your light day activities just as the name suggests...light.
Follow the 30 Minute Guideline - While you want to be certain your off-days aren't competing with your workouts, you also don't want to do so little that it makes it difficult to get back into the swing of things for your next workout either. In order to maintain what you've accomplished, and not lose any momentum moving forward, you should aim for around 30 minutes of uninterrupted activity on your light days. You may have to do some trial and error with this in order to find a good balance for yourself. This leads me to your final light day rule...
Change it Up and Make it Fun - Finding an activity you enjoy is the real key to having light days which are both productive for your fat loss success, as well as fun for you. So, my advice is to try and find something different to do each light activity day, or possibly find a few different activities and rotate through them on a regular basis. Heck, whatever works to keep you doing it is what's important, right? Finally, make sure you're having fun with it. If not, you will get bored and soon your light activity days will consist of laying on the couch and exercising your thumb on your TV remote! Don't get bored, get busy!
So, now that you're in the know about the "rules," I want to share a whole whack of fun exercises and activities that you can do on your light days. There are 26 in total, one for each letter of the alphabet . . . enjoy!
Apple picking
Bike riding
Cutting the grass (push mower)
Digging
Egg toss :)
Fast walking
Gardening
Horseback riding
Incline walking
Jumping rope
Kettlebell swings
Low impact aerobics
Martial arts
New activity you haven't done before
Organize a group activity
Play outside with the kids
Quickly run up a flight of stairs (repeat a few times)
Road hockey
Skateboarding
Tee up for a round of golf (walking with push cart)
Un-clutter your home
Vacuum
Work in the garden
X-nay sitting on your butt
Yard work
Zip-lining
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