Cross Train for Better Fitness

     The great Motivational Speaker - Zig Ziglar - used to say "If you are hard on yourself - life gets much easier" or something like that. His point was - if you work hard and practice your healthy habits regularly - you can win at whatever you set out to do. Now,  lets be real - I have about as much chance of winning Wimbledon next year as winning a big lottery jackpot.  The same goes for making the cut in the Masters.

    And still - if you or I set a realistic target - like "I will lose 20 pounds before Christmas vacation". That is an achievable goal. Or - "I will walk 3 miles every day this week".  I will pass on the fat-food drive thru and, instead make an egg-white omelet with plenty of chopped veggies for breakfast. \

Start a new, healthy habit or two. Let go of those unhealthy ones. If you've been inactive for a while, start small. And then gradually increase your pace and the intensity of your exercise. The ultimate goal - if you really want to shed those extra pounds - is to work your body hard!

   If you want to kick-start your fitness program - try working out with weights. If you think lifting weights is just for pumped-up hard-bodies who flex their muscles at Venice beach, think again. The good news is building muscle benefits everyone! Women and Men - at any age. In fact, older people may have the most to gain from weight or resistance training, because strength is so crucial to functioning independently.

All sorts of professional athletes, from basketball players to Tiger Woods and Rafael Nadal  have used cross training in their fitness regimens. Cross training is also making its way into the average person's fitness routine.
cross training doesn't require specific exercises. In fact, as long as you create variation in your activity, you can enjoy the benefits of cross training!  The key is to vary your activities between aerobic conditioning, strength training, endurance, and balance. Vary your workouts to emphasize each one of those areas.

You really can exercise and get rid of those extra pounds - for good!