Staying MOTIVATED is the key!

I was at the gym today with Stephanie for my last official training session ( I only paid for 4) before going out on my own. I have to admit I have many reservations about whether I will stay motivated by myself to keep going. One thing I definitely noticed was that my endurance has improved in this short time span. When I started my journey about 10 days ago I was not able to stay on the elipticle more than 2 minutes without having to stop to catch my breath! Today, I was able to go 6 minutes, stop and catch my breath for a second and go another 5 minutes. I am told that many people have to take baby steps, but before long they will be improving by leaps and bounds. If you find yourself wanting to give up, DON'T!! KEEP GOING!! Nothing worth accomplishing is ever easy at the beginning! Now that Stephanie is letting me loose on my own she gave me a very specific work-out plan to follow. You can use this routine or tweak it a bit depending on your own ability:

Minimum 3 days a week:

FIRST: 6 min on EACH--------eliptical, bike, treadmill. This is great cardio work and will get your heart rate up which helps you burn more calories.

SECOND: 3 SETS OF 8 REPS------rowing (45lbs), pull down (60lbs), tricep press(20lbs)

THIRD: 3 SETS OF 8 REPS-------leg press (100lbs), leg extension (40lbs), leg curl (45lbs)

FOURTH: 3 SETS OF 12 REPS-----back extension (40lbs), abdominal (30lbs)

FIFTH: 3 SETS OF 8 REPS-------chest press (15lbs), shoulder press (15-20lbs)

LAST:  3 SETS OF 8 REPS-------multi-hip(40lbs-for the outer leg), (20lbs-inner leg)

Today's Tip: I learned that to achieve maximum weight loss and gain endurance you should strive to get your heart rate up to 80-85% of your maximum heart rate. Your maximum heart rate is figured by subtracting your age from 220. For example: 220-54(my age)=166x85%= 141. So in my case I should try to get my heart beating at 141 beats per minute to really burn calories!

Basic recommendations to get fit!

I am learning quite a bit every day about what I need to do personally to get fit. I know I have a long way to go to get where I would like to be, but if I don't get started it will never happen! You too should just decide to jump in if you would like to make a positive change in the condition of your health! Don't worry if you can only do 5 minutes worth, tomorrow try to do 6. Take baby steps if you have to, but don't give up! We can all be FIT AFTER 50! I have a great trainer named Stephanie here in Columbus and she is very supportive when I want to stop, encouraging without being pushy is the key! I will be sharing with you some fun facts that I am learning as I go along. 

Here are some basic recommendations from the American College of Sports Medicine:

Do moderately intense cardio 30 minutes a day, five days a week

OR

Do vigorously intense cardio 20 minutes a day, 3 days a week

AND

Do eight to 10 strength training exercises, 8-12 reps of exercise twice a week

Moderate-intensity physical activity means working hard enought to raise your heart rate and break a sweat, yet still being able to carry on a conversation. It should be noted that to lose weight aor maintain weight loss, 60 to 90 minutes of physical activity may be necessary. The 30-minute recommendation is for the average healthy adult to maintain  health and reduce the risk of chronic disease. Hope this helps you get motivated! Now get off the couch and move!