Work it hard!

It is amazing that a mere 20 minutes of hard exercise 6 days a week can help you reach your physical peak in 60 days!  No added weights, no equipment...just plain hard work! This is what I am learning while doing Insanity.
I think this shows that people typically don't work to their potential when they exercise!  A walk on the treadmill, a short run, a few weights...sure that is OK on a rest day!  Or if you are just trying to add a touch of fitness to your world!  A great way to judge how hard you are working is not the number on the treadmill, not the number on the weight, not the number on the scale, but the number, on a scale of one to ten, that you feel you are exerting energy- your Rate of Perceived Exertion (RPE).  One being sitting on the couch, 10 being very high heart rate, can't catch your breath...over the top exertion.  In the same activity one person's RPE may be 5 while another's is 8.  It is very dependent on your fitness level, your endurance, your health!  So don't look at how hard the person next to you is working and think that will work for you...think about what you are doing and how you feel and if you can push yourself that little bit harder.  If you get exhausted you can stop and take a little break...you will recover and carry on...if you don't push yourself to a point you need a break, maybe you didn't push yourself far enough!
Slow and easy can definitely get you results, there is no doubt about that, but for most people time is an issue!  I don't have time to spend an hour and a half exercising 5 days a week! So my choice is to work as hard as I can for the time I have allotted in my calendar for that day!  Planning ahead to meet your goals!  
Sometimes it is at different times each day as I have a specific class I would like to attend or a friend I would like to work out with!  That goes in the calendar!  Right now I have dedicated myself to a program which is approximately 45 minutes a day, 6 days a week.  I will also have Turbo Kick and my Bakersfield Loser class on Wednesday night!  For me, that is a lot!!! But you just need to find what works for you "right now" to reach whatever goals you have set for yourselves!  Then you adjust again when you need to. 
If you would like any personalized encouragement, please contact me through my beachbody site or would like to ask questions on my message board, I would be more than happy to help you figure out what will work best for you!

How do you know you are getting the most out of your workout?

As a fitness instructor, an avid exerciser and a competitor, I work hard, I use my time wisely and I pay attention to how to get these things done best.  I often have only a few hours to spend at the gym a week, so when I go, I bust my butt!  Training for my half marathon was difficult as I don't want to spend more than an hour running at a time (unless it is race time).  Going to a yoga class is difficult for me as I know it is good for my body, but it takes an hour away from my cardio and weight lifting that I often don't have time to make up elsewhere.  I'm a go hard or go home kind of girl---I think that is why TurboKick is my class of choice!
Someone reminded me yesterday of the "Rating of Perceived Exertion (RPE)"---a great way to keep tabs on how hard you are working.  Read the following article, it could prove very useful to helping you get more results in the gym!


How do you know if you’re getting the most out of your workout? You can use the Rating of Perceived Exertion (RPE) scale to guide your exercise intensity. This scale was originally designed to help fitness professionals gauge how a client is feeling during exercise compared to how hard they’re actually working (measured by a heart rate monitor).
The difference between the perceived exertion and actual physical output says a lot about how your state of mind is affecting your workout. In other words, this scale uses not only the body’s physical response to gauge exercise intensity, but also the psychological response to working out.
 
For simplicity, you can use a scale of 1-10 (1 being very easy, 5 being moderate and 10 being maximal effort.)

As you're exercising, ask yourself where you are on this scale. If you would honestly say you're only at a 4 or 5, bump up the intensity; the harder you’re working, the more calories you’re burning. But just be careful that you don’t overdo it, otherwise you won’t be able to complete your workout.

Aim for a 6 or 7 and bump up the intensity in intervals to an 8 or 9, and then bring it back down to a steady 6 or 7 again for a great calorie-blasting workout. And just remember, as you get fit, a workout that used to rank an 8 on your personal RPE scale will become a 5, which is a tangible achievement well worth noting.

I think this article is great to help you help yourself!  My only suggestion is don't worry about overdoing it...seriously...how often does someone fall off the treadmill because they worked too hard...if you need a break, take one, but bust your butt for as long as you can before you take it!  You will survive!  Most people never make it to a 9 or 10 as they are too scared they will overdo it!  Don't be scared, just go go go!!!  Drink lots of water before, during and after, get rest after...just not during!
Also don't assume the level you were are two weeks ago is an appropriate level this week.  You are probably ready to increase the workload, whether it is a higher speed on the treadmill, heavier weights, deeper squats...you know what you need to do!  On the other hand, if you are having an off day, you can take it easy...just don't stop altogether!  As long as you get a few hard working days a week, you can have a few easier days too!  Make sure you are working hard towards that goal!
I would love to hear how you are doing!!!