TAKE A DOSE OF LAURA
How to Get Fit
and Stay Fit
By Laura Jones
It’s a new year and the season “to be jolly” has cast a horizon
of rainbows ahead of us!
What better way to start being jolly, than with the motivation
to get fit? For many of us, a New Year’s resolution is to
start exercising. For some of us the goal might be to “flex on
the gram” to show off #SummerBodyGoals, and for others, it
might be to lose some weight to become healthier. Whatever
your “Get Fit” objective is, you can’t reach it if you never start
or if you quit in the middle of the process.
So how do you start the “Get Fit” process?
The best start is to set a realistic and healthy goal. Then
make a schedule you will follow, incorporating days for your
body to rest. A tip that helps me stay consistent is making
sure I don’t allow my “rest days” to exceed three days. Three
days can turn into a week, and then comes the infamous, “I’ll
start again next week.”
According to the Physical Activity Guidelines for
Americans, adults should engage in physical activity on the
average of anywhere from two hours and thirty minutes to five
hours a week. Roughly, that is three days of about an hour of
exercising. Moreover, the Centers for Disease Control state
that a healthy way to lose weight and keep it off is to lose 1-2
lbs. per week. It was seen that those who lose weight gradually
are more successful at keeping weight off.
So just start off slow and incorporate more intense workouts,
or longer workouts, to the extent your body can handle.
It is important to listen to your body and not overwork it in
order to prevent injuries. Remember, always consult your
doctor with any concerns you might have or if something
does not feel right while or after exercising.
Now that the “Get Fit” process is started, how do you keep
up the motivation to “Stay Fit”? All in all, the best way to
stay motivated is by physically seeing or feeling the results
of exercising.
Also, try exercising in different places (park, gym, home,
backyard, etc.) and switching up different exercises in order
to prevent boredom. A good way to add difficulty to workouts
is by adding exercise balls, ankle weights, or resistance bands
to simple exercises. One of the most important things is to
not give up if you don’t see results immediately. It wouldn’t
be a process if it did not take a series of steps to get over the
rainbow and see the pot of gold waiting for you at the end.
So “Take a Dose of Laura” and try one of my favorite quick
home leg workouts:
WARM-UP
Stretch, jump rope, or whatever you like to get your body
energized for 5-10 minutes
WORKOUT
3 sets of 10 squats (hold a dumbbell vertically with both
hands to add resistance)
3 sets of 20 donkey kicks on each leg (use resistance band
or ankle weights)
3 sets of 20 fire hydrants on each leg (use resistance band
or ankle weights)
3 sets of 15 jumping squats
3 sets of 20 lunges on each leg (hold a dumbbell horizontally
in each hand to add resistance)
3 sets of 20 calf raises (hold a dumbbell horizontally in
each hand to add resistance)
COOL DOWN
Stretch your legs and calves out, however you like, for up
to 3-5 minutes.
P.S. MAKE SURE TO STAY HYDRATED! Drink plenty
of water.
#GetFitStayFit
Follow me on Instagram
@lauraallana_ for videos
for these exercises and more.
14 | BREAKTHRU MEDIA | breakthrumediamagazine.com JANUARY / F E B R UARY 2 0 1 9
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