Time flies by really fast… and suddenly, I find that it’s been two whole hazy months that I haven’t hit the gym! And… how do I know that?? Well, thanks to my trusty little Workout Log which I keep pasted on the fridge!
For those of you not into an exercise routine, you may wonder what’s a Workout Log. Well, it’s simply a chart that you tick off each time you go to the gym to keep track of your progress. Well, sorta like a silent personal trainer who keeps track of your going to the gym, a glaring reminder of how often (or less frequently) you go to the gym. Also, with so many things going on in my life, my brains are jam-packed with other important things that I need to remember, and I’d rather tick off on the Workout Log what exercise classes I’ve been going to, else I’d be gravitating towards those easier classes and neglecting the tougher ones.
(We always tend to avoid pain … and seek pleasure. – according to Mr. Anthony Robbins)
For those exercise buffs, each of us would already have a set of routines that we stick to. A workout log just tracks our progress, and makes sure that our exercises are balanced on the whole, and not just concentrated on one part of the body. (You don’t want one part of your body to be disproportionately bigger than the rest, regardless what part that is!)
I have friends, like Eleen, who swears by Body Pump classes to keep her body in shape. I have guy friends who love weights, and those bench presses, dumbbells and curls. A specific exercise routine targetted at specific muscle groups. (Ouch.)
Personally, I prefer group exercises, as I find it not so boring, especially if the instructor is hunky and charming! The class exercises can be divided into 2 main categories, one is to burn fat, and the other, to build muscle.
Fat burning exercises are the slower more fluid type of exercises, such as walking, dancing, etc. My fat burning arsenal is my latin and jazz dance classes. These classes are fun, sexy and not tiring. We burn fat as we swirl and twirl with the music, relaxing the mind as well as the body. Lovely!
Muscle building and toning exercises are the high impact type of exercises, my favourites being Body Combat and Power Jump. After just a couple of weeks of not missing classes (3 classes a week), I can see my body toned right back into shape. Body Combat targets mainly the upper body. With repetitive movements, the arms are firmed up, and the torso into a V-shaped 6-pack. Power Jump targets the lower body. It targets the lower abdomen, butt and thighs. Beautiful.
The best strategy is to combine both fat burning classes and muscle building classes into a workable plan. The best is to alternate one fat burning exercise of your choice, with a muscle building exercise of your choice. That is where your Workout Log comes in handy. Plan out your most effective strategy and stick to it. And then stick your Workout Log somewhere you can see it prominently! It can be on the fridge, on the mirror, on your door, or even on your car dashboard. Let it be a silent reminder… to get off your butt and go workout!
You can DOWNLOAD A FREE PRINTABLE WORKOUT LOG HERE.
In this Free Printable Workout Log, I have given you 2 examples of how to define your exercise objectives. One Printable Workout Log for the upper body, and one Printable Workout Log for the lower body. And one BLANK Printable Workout Log for you to write in your own favourite exercises, which may defer from mine.
HAPPY EXERCISE!
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