What's Old is New Again

I've been what you might consider a fairly constant exerciser since about 2000. Prior to that time I used to go for walks or jogs on occasion or rode my bike for a little while each day but I never really was into going to the gym until about 2000 when I determined to get into shape. I dropped about 70 pounds at that point and since then I've fluctuated a bit depending on how religious I've been about going to the gym. It's part of the natural yo-yo effect that comes as part of working out but I think I'm back on the horse again so to speak and I've been doing well.

Still, with the fluctuation in weight and priorities, it's always tempting to try and find that 'one routine' or that 'one method' that will suddenly have you dropping pounds like barbells at the end of a long hard set. Unfortunately in eight years of working out I have yet to come across anything that resembles that type of workout. Indeed, I have tried lots of them. From 'fat burning' protein shakes to Slim Fast to electrolyte water and what I've found is that no matter what you try, it eventually comes down to working out and cutting the calories. Sure the occasional treat is good for you but if you're burning more than you're taking in then you'll certainly start to see the results and the key to remember is that those results may take a bit of time to start showing up.

But not all of us are that patient. We usually come to that revelation a very short time before we'll be put on some sort of public display where being in shape will certainly pay dividends. By then it's usually too late to have any significant impact and you can go through all the cleansing diets or lemon vinegar diets that you want and it will only serve to screw up your system more if you don't know what the Hell you're doing (which most of us really don't). So what do we do? We want to workout but we want to lose the weight and see the results. So what can we try? There are so many classes out there. Cardio-kickboxing, dance-ercise, spinning (which is a form of cycling... so I gather), jumping, pole-dancing. You name it there's probably a class out there that will give you the tagline of giving you results in the shortest time possible.

Unfortunately we're all built differently and just because spinning worked for you it may not work for me. But something that seems to work more than any of these fad exercise methods is plain old simple exercises that man has been doing ever since he (or she) looked at their gut and said, "I really need to do something about that poofy-ness." So then why do these fad diets seem to work? Well I think part of it is because for many of us, exercise is so foreign a concept that any sort of physical activity will be a shock to the system that ends up helping you burn off the weight and keep it off for sometime... or at least until you stop working out. That's not to say they aren't effective, they certainly are, but the other question becomes, will it be something you will want to continue doing for years to come?

Fad exercises come and go but good old fashioned sit-ups, pull-ups and kettleball lifts (as pictured above) are all exercises that have been around for a long time and seem to be effective no matter what era they are tried in. The basic concept that needs to be understood is that in order to see those results, you need to lift for your goal. Want to build muscle, you probably want to slowly increase the weight so that your muscles get strained and grow stronger. Want to tone, be consistent in your weight and work the muscle so that it keeps it's flexibility while increasing firmness. These basics combined with a balanced diet will always help you keep in shape. So toss that "Dancing with the Stars" outfit in the closet and just go out and do some situps.