Thanks for the questions.  Please keep them coming!  I’m new at this “blogging” and want to respond thoughtfully, so it’s taking me a little time.

Question;  Once I’ve attained my goals what do I have to do to maintain them?

Well you are now in the “management” phase.  Managing your fitness maintenance program and that will differ from person to person.  Factors like age and genetics play a role here as some people do little exercise and seem to maintain a lean muscled physique while others lose conditioning quickly.  It’s important that you understand your own body in terms of how quickly you lose conditioning and what it takes to get back to your place of comfort and joy in your body.

If you continue doing what you are doing, (Supreme Pilates) chances are you will maintain your fitness level.  As the Supreme Pilates workout offers constant variation in terms of muscles used and how they are demanded upon, because of the variety of movement your body won’t get used  to it as quickly as it might with doing one movement over and over again.  So do your best to stick to your program.  However if you are doing the same DVD over and over then eventually the body will acclimate to the demands you are making on it and so it’s a good idea to vary your workouts.  Try working out for 20 minutes intensely one day and on the next work out extend the time to say, forty minutes.

The new DVD’s I’m creating will add a cardio component and a new set of stretches.

I am looking to offer stronger springs that will enable you to step it up.

I’ve found the biggest challenge is that life can easily cause diversion, and that’s when you have to stay aware and vigilant.  As that’s when we slip off of our routines, change our eating habits, have that extra glass of wine or snack. The important thing is to look at exercise, fitness and diet as a life time commitment.  And I use the word diet in the sense of what you eat and not in the sense of a life time of dieting.  I don’t believe in that.

Think of your body the way one thinks of maintaining your home then you’ll find that you think about it daily, and be less likely to let it slide as a major clean-up is no fun.

Here’s a set of questions I ask myself daily and weekly.  I don’t make a big thing of it, it’s just a check in with my body.

Daily Questionnaire

1. Was I active enough today?
2. Did I eat well?
3. Did I have healthy bowel movement?
4. Is there something that I want to improve on tomorrow?

Weekly Questionnaire.

1. How many hours did I exercise this week?  Was it enough?
2. Did I walk enough? (was I active in my daily life?)
3. Did I eat well?  Enough veggies? Enough protein?
4. Did my portion sizes change? (this is very important as it’s easy to increase/decrease portion sizes and not really be aware of it. It’s okay to increase/ decrease portion size from day to day, but if there is an overall change then it’s important to be aware of it.
5. How is my metabolism functioning? (Regular bowel movements and consistency)
6. Did I sleep well? (very important because if your not sleeping well it’s difficult to maintain healthy weight as not only are you too tired for exercise but your cortisol levels go up and you then might gain fat.) so look at what’s keeping you up.
7. Do I feel good about my body? Do I have area’s that aren’t as fit?
8. How was my carb, protein, fat ratio?  Did I eat too many carbs?  Are my protein portions too large or too small?
9. How do I look?  Do I look healthy?  Does my skin have a good healthy glow?
10. Do my clothes fit the way I like them to?
11. Any aches and pains?
12. What about my vices  did I manage them well this week?
    

Back to maintaining fitness.

With summer almost here, try to add power walking, it’s one of the activities that I love.  I walk with a friend or client for an hour and get a sweat going.  Doing that twice a week is great for the heart and will help to burn fat.

For those trying to slim down or increase your fitness level.

There is a saying that I repeat to myself when the task at hand looks to daunting.  It’s “Inch by Inch it’s a Synch”  VERY CHEESY  but it’s always worked for me.  I tell myself just do one thing everyday toward my goal.  When I do that I find that momentum takes over and soon I’m doing more and more each day toward that goal and the goal becomes my life.