First of all, you are all the best. So many good questions coming in hot on IG right now. I feel like Fit to the ness might be a once a month series…. we will see. I love a good fitness discussion. I earned my degree in Exercise Physiology knowing that its something that I would use daily for myself, and one day hope to help others. It is definitely a big part of my life and I love to help others reach their fitness potential. The one thing I have to stress from the get go is that EVERYBODY… Every. Body. is different. The root of all discouragement is comparison. The only person you should be comparing yourself too is yourself. Unless of course you’re competing in a race, or some sort of other competition. Then go kick their bums. Also, there are a lot of smart fitness professionals who do things differently. Sometimes the only thing they have in common and why they have been successful in fitness is because they are consistent. There are defiantly lots of tips and tricks with programming, lifting form, rep ranges, diet, etc. And that can tend to get overwhelming when trying to learn it all at once. Just be consistent in your effort and you will love the results. My diet and training has developed over the years. We are all at different stages in our fitness goals. It doesn’t matter if you’re a seasoned pro, or a beginner. We all have to start somewhere.

• This is a great Segway into the first question I want to address- How and where do I start?

1- Purpose- You have to have a deep underlying purpose as to why you are picking yourself out of bed early in the morning or hitting it late at night. Your purpose doesn’t have to be the same as anyone else’s. It really doesn’t even have to be that sophisticated. It can be as silly as you want bigger calfs….My purpose has evolved over the years. Back in the day it was to excel in sports then evolved into looking good, then evolved into feeling good, now is just a habit. I love it. I genuinely love training. It pushes and motivates me daily. I feel like if my health is in check, everything else falls into place. The very best investment you can make is on yourself. Take care of yourself first, then go give your best self to everyone else.

2- Learn- they don’t call it the Information Age for nothin. We have endless opportunities to learn from youtube, to instagram, to the people at the gym who look like they know what they are doing. I am always asking questions. I love visiting new gyms when traveling and talking to people and their fitness strategies. Again, The one thing I have learned over the years, there’s a lot of different ways to do it. The main thing we have in common, Consistency.

3- Just do it- easier said than done! I think some will be excited to learn that I am currently in the process of putting out my own programs that will be accessible via app. I want to make it easy for you to go and do whether you are at home or have full access to a gym. I am excited about it. More on this to come.

• Is lifting weights (strength training) important?

Bottom line… YES! It doesn’t matter if you’re an endurance athlete or an olympic weight lifter. The thing that is going to help you the most is resistance training. The biggest misconception I still hear (from women) to this day is that lifting weights will make them bulky. Lifting weights will not make you bulky! That lean, strong, summer bod you’re dreaming about comes from lifting lots of heavy weights. The men and women you see who look big and bulky probably are on some sort of enhancements… just sayin. HERE IS THE KEY- We all have 24 hrs in a day. To think that your 1 hour workout is what is going to keep you lean is false. What keeps you lean is training your body to burn the most calories possible the other 23 hours. Fun fact- muscle tissue will burn 7-10 calories per pound daily, whereas fat only burns 2-3 calories per pound. So….. Lift weights- build lean muscle- burn more calories at rest!! Did I just blow your mind?

• Frequency?

NEVER MISS A DAY! just kidding. I am for sure overboard but here is the thing about frequency. Essentially what you’re doing by working out is breaking down your body. Breaking down muscle tissue so that it can repair itself bigger and better. The harder the workout and the more frequent, the more your body adapts. Thats how you see real change. If you don’t train hard enough or frequent enough (consistency) your body doesn’t have to adapt and change to take on the added work load. Now if you’re just starting out set goals that you can reach without getting discouraged. If thats 2-3 times a week do it. If you’re confident in 5 days a week do it. Find a time that works for your schedule and put it in the calendar, with a reminder. Remember, you have to take care of yourself first so you can give your best to everyone else. I hope these little tidbits helped. I am excited to get my app up and going to give more tools for your success. Keep the questions coming and I will do my best to answer in future blog posts. Have a SMOOOOOOOOOTH week.

Love,

Cabe