Should You Work Out Smarter or Just Harder? The Answer May Be “a Bit of Both”
Susan Ohtake
Certified Personal Trainer
Mind-Body Connection
The mind-body connection means more than you think. It is about more than your state of mind. It’s also about using your brain to improve your total health.
A holistic approach to health means actively thinking about your body and what it needs.
The more you know about your body and what makes it lose and gain weight, the more easily you can adjust to what it works. That automatically rules out the one-diet-fits-all approach.
Everyone is Different
Our bodies are as individual as we are. One person might have a fast metabolism and the other has a slow one—should they be on the same diet plan? Of course not!
There are so many factors that make up who we are, both mentally and physically. You have to think about all of them in order to avoid fat and get fit.
To lose the fat and keep it off, you have to pay attention to your body.
Faster Weight Loss
You want to lose weight fast? You can, and you don’t have to do a crash diet!
Our bodies respond quickly to changes, as long as you’re making the right ones.
What are the right changes? A crucial factor in fighting flab and keeping it away is about using time as efficiently as possible.
Kicking those Bad Habits
Creating new, healthy habits is the key to weight loss. A lifestyle change will allow you to drop those pounds and keep them off.
But, sometimes, that just isn’t enough. You have to break your bad habits, too.
The biggest challenge we face in our journey to a healthier self is OURSELVES. Over time, we develop bad habits. Those habits can cancel out the healthy changes we make. They slow down weight loss, keeping you trapped in your own fat.
Watch the Fat Melt Away
Take a balanced approach to fitness, and you will see the pounds drop. It’s just how our bodies work. Give them the right fuel, and they’ll respond.
By eating a diet of healthy, nutritious foods, you can lose weight. By doing targeted, full-body exercises you can lose weight.
COMBINE THE BEST OF BOTH AND YOU WON’T BELIEVE THE RESULTS.
Your flab will disappear while your muscles gain tone. You will be healthier and the way you look will reflect that. You will be on the road to your best self in only weeks.
Should I Work Smarter or Harder?
So, should you work smarter or harder? The answer is a little bit of both. Combine the results of INTENSE, TOTAL BODY EXERCISE and SMART, HEALTHY NUTRITION.
The result will be a harder, slimmer, and healthier body. Eating smarter while working out harder is the key to transforming your body into your dream body.
Intensity is Your Friend
If you are intensely committed to a healthier lifestyle, you’re halfway there. Whether you have a lot of time or a little, you can fit in a super effective workout—that is, as long as it hits the right intensity. In this case, working harder is working smarter.
“Won’t high-intensity exercise make me tired?”
You’d think that harder work would be more wearing on your body, but I find that a smaller spurt of efficient, high-intensity exercise is much more manageable than long, exhausting workouts.
The faster you get going, the faster you get done! And, you have plenty of time left over to live your life…meaning you might actually stick with it this time.
Don’t Wear Yourself Out
The question of working harder or smarter isn’t just an intellectual one. The reason it matters is that you need to find a routine you can do for the rest of your life.
If you want to get rid of your problem areas and reveal the fit, toned body underneath, you can do it. It’s there inside of you already. You just have to let your inner self shine through.
With a smarter workout routine, you can be sure that you’re getting the biggest benefits in the least amount of time. That means that you’ll have more energy for other things. If you don’t wear yourself out, you can be more productive. It’s about finding the right balance between your energy and intensity.
Mind Over Matter
Learning about how your body works at its best is what smart exercise is all about. You can use your brain to improve your body.
That’s what holistic fitness is all about. You can get every part of your body, from head to toe, in the best condition of your life. Just remember that everyone is different.
Find the combination of hard work and smart work that makes the most of your natural abilities and fits your needs.