You may be spending way too much time trying to get fit. It’s not that fitness isn’t worthwhile. Obviously, it is. The problem is, your strategy might not be the most efficient. You may be working out for much longer than necessary and getting a fraction of the results that you desire.
When most people exercise, they are not utilizing a full range of motion. For example, when you go for a run, walk, or bike ride, your hips move in only one direction (forward), while your shoulders generally don’t move at all. Or at the gym, you may do an array of exercises and a multitude of reps, yet how often do you lift your arms above your head or rotate your torso in either direction or move your body sideways?
If you are not using a full range of motion when you exercise, your body will work in a compensatory fashion: Rather than recruiting the major muscles originally designed to do the work, it will call upon only the smaller muscles that don’t require as much energy to function. For instance, when most people perform push-ups, they rely on their biceps and forearms to do the work. However, when you’re properly aligned, push-ups are a great total-body exercise that engages larger muscles, especially your abs, which in turn expends much more energy.
Having more than 40 years of experience in the fitness world (much of it working with some of the world’s top athletes), I also know that how you work out impacts what you eat and how much you drink. When you put those bigger muscles to work, you alter the body’s cravings for fuel. Your muscles need protein, nutrients found in fruits and vegetables, and water to recover. So if you find yourself wanting more lean meats and salads and less chips and soda when you move more, that’s why.
Related: Why a Dehydrated Person Might Not Get Thirsty
The Fun, Quick, and Effective Workout You Need
I want everyone to achieve optimal fitness in less time. So I’m excited to announce that I teamed up with Sonima to create Elev8d Fitness. This program is for everyone, including the super busy and non-busy, those with aches and without, and longtime fitness junkies as well as folks just starting out with exercise or coming back after a long hiatus.
Elev8d is based on eight core movements that compel a full range of motion. The exercises in the eight-, 16-, and 24-minute workouts are arranged in a very specific order, which helps align your body. These short, fun routines will improve your fitness, no matter your current level, and they can be used as a warm-up to other activity.
The only requirement is that you do an Elev8d routine at least four times a week. That might sound like a lot, but remember, each workout is short, and a body responds to the stimulus it’s provided. If the body is going to respond effectively to a new routine that involves a full range of motion, then that routine needs to happen regularly, thereby, convincing the body that there’s a change to the daily stimulus pattern it receives.
Elev8d is also based on fun. I have long said that two essential ingredients to fitness are full range of motion and fun. I am extremely excited about the advent of Elev8d Fitness and hope you are too. Fitness really can be more enjoyable and less time-consuming than we’ve come to think. Just wait and see!
Transform your body in less time with these popular Elev8d Fitness workouts and programs!
8-Minute Sculpted Butt and Hips Workout
16-Minute Core Stability and Strength Workout
8-Minute Strength Workout Series
Flat Belly Workout Series
Total-Body At-Home Workout Series
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