Want to be better?

Hey out there,

Lets start off with who I am and why I'm starting this blog; my name is Jack and fitness is part of my life. I'm not the guy you see doing bicep curls in the mirror. Nor am I the guy you see wearing brightly colored spandex riding a bike down the street. No, I embrace fitness in all forms and welcome variety and challenge into my routine. I believe that your fitness should not be broken down into a "10 week beach body workout" or a "pain free ab sculpting routine" but instead a life long journey to be better, both mentally and physically. Try new things, keep what you like, discard what you don't.

As this blog progresses, I will be posting ideas to keep my your (and my) fitness life moving forward, to get better every day. You might be the world champion on the elliptical machine, but can you jump? Can you do a pull up? Maybe you can do a million push ups, but you cant throw a ball to save your life. My goal is to make you a well rounded athlete that can pick up a new activity with ease.

Now maybe you are thinking "I'm not an athlete at all." Maybe you are thinking "I'm already good at my sport." Maybe you only want to look good in the mirror and don't really want to work that hard. In any case, there are numerous reasons to try new things when it comes to fitness. One, they are most often fun. At least the learning phase is fun. Some physical activities, especially new ones, will come with some pain, ie; the first time I tried boxing. It was just pad work (no getting punched in the face) but my sides were incredibly sore the next day. Two, trying and learning new exercises, games, sports, etc. is good for the mind. When we stop learning its like putting our brains into neutral. I like to keep mine engaged and moving forward. Finally, branching out into different arenas of motion will keep you from getting bogged down or reaching a plateau in your fitness. You will constantly be adapting to new challenges.

Here a few habits that you can try to add to your daily routine:

• Take the stairs. When you have the choice, avoid the escalator/elevator/moving sidewalk.
• Walk, don't drive. If you are going to dinner/the store/the circus and it is a mile or less away, driving is just lazy. Plus, you won't have to park and you'll save money on gas. If you buy groceries, carrying them back will be a workout in itself.
• Once a week, find time to try something new. My girlfriend and I take turns picking the activity. It can be anything, from dancing class to yoga to spin class to going to a pumpkin patch (not really a workout but its fun and outside).
• Get your heart rate up every day. This can be quick. I like to spend 2 minutes in the morning swinging a kettle bell (you will see these a lot around here) or doing some quick yoga or whatever else get me moving. The point is you should never go a day without elevating your heart rate. Even on my lazy, never-put-on-real-clothes days I do a little something that gets my pulse racing.

That does it for now. Check back soon for more. And remember, if you aren't getting better today, you are getting worse. And nobody wants that.

Get out and get some.

Jack

PS - Please, comment and post your ideas and habits for getting better every day. I love hearing how different people get after it!