Back to basics
By Teralee Trommeshauser
It seems we’re always looking for the new great thing that’s going to get us fit, shed the pounds, and motivate us. Many of us put in a half-hearted effort of working out, decide that those particular exercises don’t work, but wait… what’s that? Jennifer Aniston uses what? Well, then! That’s my ticket too! And out we run to purchase some new piece of equipment, exercise video, or whatever.
(And then it sits in our closet for 5 years, collecting dust. How many of you use your treadmill as a place to hang laundry? That’s what I thought.)
We keep turning to the flashy lights of “new” and “improved”, that’s usually paired up with a line of celebrity hot bodies, forgetting that the basic fundamental exercises work perfectly well. You didn’t see Arnold or Jane swinging huge ropes around, or gliding around on plastic things. We haven’t evolved so much in the past decades that we’ve developed some new muscles that we just can’t quite work with regular exercise, and they’re must be the ones holding us back from having a beautiful body. In actuality, we’re relying on these fancy new exercises, equipment, or videos, to supply us with the motivation.
Reality check! If you don’t have the motivation to go do a regular stationary lunge, I can almost guarentee that you wont have it to do some fandangled curtsy lunge, with an overhead press on a Bosu. And chances are you will probably get hurt, and swear off lunges altogether. And that would be terrible, because lunges are our best friend (the best friend we love to hate).
We need some back-to-the-landism here! Yes, all those fancy videos and exercise toys are great; things like the Bosu and TRX definitely have their place. But I assure you that once you build a solid foundation first, you will not only enjoy using the fun exercise accessories more, you’ll yield better results.
There’s nothing wrong with starting slow, starting with the basics, and working your way up.So when I say “basics” I don’t mean you have to go put on your spandex and slouchy socks, and throw on your Jane Fonda tapes. Basic lunges, squats, bicep curls, rows, etc. No crazy equipment or coordination needed. You can try to tell me that they just don’t work for you, but I’ll likely tell you that you’re probably doing them wrong, or not often enough. I know. Life is hard, right? We’re always looking for the quick fix.
So before you run out and spend hundreds of dollars on some specialized equipment or celebrity workout video, try just creating a basic, full-body workout for yourself, and a weekly plan of action. Keep it simple, and you’re more likely to stick to it. Once you get that down and do it for a few weeks, or even months, straight, then you can go out and buy all the equipment, gadgets, and videos you want – because you’ve shown yourself that you can commit, and that you wont waste your money by buying those things (like I’ve seen so many people do. And like I said, not because they don’t work, but because the people buying them didn’t have the motivation in the first place!)
And if you’re still set on doing some progressive exercise, or just can’t get yourself to commit, trying joining an exercise class! Join with a friend, or find one that you pre-register for a number of weeks, that way you’re more obligated to go!
Teralee Trommeshauer is a fitness coach based in Castlegar, BC. This column originally appeared in her blog, Real Life, Real Health.
