Spring Tune-Up

It’s spring break for the kids, spring cleaning of our households and baseball spring training is in full swing. It’s common to feel more energized and motivated to reset and ramp up our health and fitness in the spring as well.

Some people will tackle a 2-week focused effort, others get dialed in for a month and others commit for 6 weeks, which we’ve found to be long enough to experience transformational results. In 6 weeks, you can expect to get stronger, gain muscle, lose body fat, increase your energy, improve your sleep, and significantly increase your energy levels. 

My challenge to you is commit to the following for 6-weeks
and see what happens.

You could start today. Create a calendar with a start and finish date and track what you accomplish each day. Each positive action step will provide you the motivation to keep going and, soon, you’ll be looking and feeling your best!

Exercise is Medicine!

Get Stronger

Strength train a minimum of two to three times per week. One set of 8-15 reps of a variety of exercises for 20-60 minutes is ideal. Movements like squats, lunges, step ups, pushups, pullups, core conditioning and other functional strength moves are great.

Improve Your Cardio-Respiratory Fitness

Move your body aerobically 3-6 days each week for 20-60 minutes each session at various levels of intensity. Activities like walking, jogging, cycling, swimming, rowing, hiking, stair-climbing, dancing or fitness classes will do the trick. Walking is one of the easiest ways to start your fitness journey.

Mobility and Flexibility

Remember to finish each workout with some release and lengthening to assure we maintain our mobility and flexibility. Try a yoga class once per week. 

Food is Medicine Too!

Hydrate

Drink at least half of your body weight in ounces of water each day. Carry a water bottle with you and sip regularly throughout the day.

Start with Plants

Eat vegetables and/or fruit with each meal.

Strive for Balance

Every macro-nutrient is critical including protein, carbs and fats. They all play an important role in optimal health so don’t eliminate any macro.

Meal Prep

Spend time planning your meals, grocery shopping, and remember that portion control is critical to a makeover challenge.

Fast for 13 Hours Per Day

Avoid eating anything 3 hours before bedtime and allow about 13 continuous hours per day with no food intake. So, if you stop eating at 7pm, your next meal will be at 8am at the earliest.

Don’t Tempt Yourself

If you know it will cause you to stumble, eliminate it from your environment (work, home, car) and replace with healthy options that make adhering to a nutrition plan easier. Make access to temptations more difficult. 

Lifestyle – Make it Easier to Succeed

Move More

If you start moving more throughout your day, you won’t have to spend hours in the gym!

Sleep

Strive for 7-8 hours of sleep every night. It is when your body recovers and repairs. If you do not sleep enough, your energy levels and the intensity of your workouts will suffer. In addition, research suggests that a lack of sleep triggers appetite and fat gain.

Relax

Stress is also linked to increased appetite and weight gain so outline methods to reduce your stress and practice them regularly.

Check-In

Accountability is key. Submit a paper or digital activity and nutrition log to a trainer, nutritionist, or friend to keep you on track. If weight loss is your goal, do a weekly weigh-in and/or monthly body composition scan to monitor your progress. 

Enrolling in a local Spring Makeover Challenge or even starting a competition amongst friends, family or co-workers can really help you commit to doing what you probably already know you need to be doing to improve your overall health and fitness.

Yours in health & fitness,
Sherri McMillan