Written by Adam Rubin
Personal Trainer, Western Reserve Racquet & Fitness Club
What can you do to improve your results?
In Part 1 of this blog I spoke about effort in the gym. Okay, so now you’re dialed in, you crush it every time you’re at the gym, you keep records of every workout, yet you still feel like you’re getting nowhere. You wonder how can this be? As a weight lifter, I spend a MAXIMUM of 6 hours per week in the gym. That means less than 4% of my week is allotted to gym time. Which is all I need to see steady improvement. That being said, if you’re really pushing yourself and you’re still not seeing the results the question may not be “what are you doing with your hour at the gym?” but rather “what are you doing the other 23 hours of the day?” Are your daily habits aiding or impeding your progress?
Focus on improving your daily habits
Here are two very important aspects of your life that could aid in achieving the results you want.
Sleep: Yes, 7-8 hours of sleep is universally recommended to keep you feeling refreshed and to functioning optimally. However, there is much more to it than that. Many important mechanisms take place during quality deep sleep such as aid in recovery, adaptation to training and regulation of hormone levels. Everyone has a busy lifestyle these days and may skimp on some sleep here and there, but chronic lack of quality sleep will set you up for failure when it comes to your fitness goals.
Other Physical Activity: It’s great you’ve made the commitment exercise regularly, but one hour per day may not be enough to offset a job that requires you to sit for 8 hours at a time. And let’s face it, one hour at the gym does not give you an excuse to flop on the couch any chance you get. Wearable technology, such as Myzone and Fitbit, have helped a lot in this area. However, there are many other ways to go that extra step. Use the stairs, go on a hike or walk the dog. Better yet, cancel the plow service and shovel your own driveway, cut your own grass, or chop down the tree yourself that you would normally hire someone else to do! We build strength and grit in the gym, let’s put it to use in our daily lives as well.