Tony has a unique view on what it takes to get the job done, stay healthy and get fit.  He follows the 11 laws of fitness that he’s come up with.  In theory they are all simple concepts.  But when you fit them all together, following these ‘rules’ of thumb in your approach to your fitness goals they can become serious motivators!

My next installment of going over Tony’s 11 laws is Consistency.  One of the key factors in seeing results and your long term overall health is consistency.  The more you do something, the more you are getting into the ‘game’ so to speak the body will respond better.  You’ll find the same concept with people dieting.  The ‘yo-yo’ effect where they go on these crash diets and lose 10 – 15 pounds and then within no time they gain it all right back. Why? First and foremost they stop doing what is right and that is consistently eating healthy. The same can be said for working out.  If you are always stopping and starting a workout program or trying to be a ‘weekend’ warrior and catch up on your workouts, it isn’t going to work. This in the long run will do more harm than anything.

As humans, we are creatures of habit.  I’ve found that over the past year and a 1/2 doing workout programs such as P90x, Insanity, TurboFire, Chalean Extreme, and more that I’ve made working out a habit for me.  This is a good habit to get into.  It creates that consistency that is required to get the job done.  One trick i think that works is finding a set time to workout each day/night if possible.  I find that this approach has worked for me because I know each day when I’m going to be getting the groove on.  It is good from time to time to switch the timing up, but try to be consistent with it.

One factor that I also find in giving you the motivation to create the consistency needed to press play each day is having fun at what you are doing.  Who’s going to want to workout if they aren’t having some enjoyment of what they are doing.  So find that program, that workout regime that will allow you to be consistent. Want to discuss it further then contact me.  Love to talk more about helping you create that consistency.

Decide. Commit. Succeed!

  So law One.  Variety.  With anything you do in life, you want to find ways and things that will keep you motivated to continue the task at hand.  This is very much the same with working out.  Variety in your workouts will help you continue to go beyond your current capabilities, you won’t reach that plateau that so many folks get to and don’t see results anymore.

The variety, keeps the body guessing. Keeps the muscles moving in different directions, hitting them from different angles, working your body cardio wise in different manners. Whether it be HIIT (high intensity interval training as in Insanity) or some longer sustained workouts(P90x) getting the calorie burn going. Your body will stay adapted to what you are doing if you repeatedly do the same thing over and over.  It becomes too efficient and doesn't work as hard anymore.

Other reasons to add variety is that it helps reduce the potential for injuries.  As you include added workouts, exercises which are working your body in all different manners, this allows for it to become stronger from the various angles. So when you go into the real world to do your favorite sport, or simple work in the yard or whatever it may be, you’re less likely to sustain an injury. I think for my own personal self this has played a great part in my running I am doing now.  Because I had done Insanity for 2 rounds, it got my body ready to take on the miles I have been putting in.  Love it.

So, add variety.  Add different workout programs, intermix them, do different sports, try something new that you’ve never done before.  Keep yourself engaged with a variety of workouts and never be bored that is for sure.  If you like something new every month, look at Tony Horton’s One on One program (Volume 1, Volume 2, Individuals).  Definitely variety. But no matter what you do, press play and find what works for you.  Goal is to keep you continually working out and being successful and getting healthy! There is always something out there for everyone no matter what their interests are.

Have fun.  Stay fit. Decide. Commit. Succeed! 

Tony Horton is the creator of P90x.   A great 90 day workout program that will take you through a total body transformation like none you’ve seen before.    Below are his 11 laws of fitness.  I will go through each one individually more in depth over the coming weeks.  I think you will find that they are simple concepts that really make sense. I personally look at them as a basic guide to doing what is right to being successful in our quest to be healthy!

Variety. Variety is the spice of life and fitness. A lifetime of health and fitness is achievable when you can think outside the box. You have to mix it up all the time. Stay curious, creative, and stick with the kinds of workouts that you enjoy. A variety of exercises, workouts, and sports will allow you to avoid injuries, plateaus, and boredom.

Consistency. Improvement and change occur when you do things often. Stopping and starting all the time will kill any momentum you need to succeed. You must find ways to stay in the game. Moderate forms of exercise, done consistently, provide far better results than the occasional full-body pummeling. A lifestyle that includes multiple forms of exercise five to six days a week guarantees results.

Intensity. YOU'RE TOUGHER THAN YOU THINK. The fear of pain or injury from working out is a mindset steeped in failure. You must learn to "Find the Line." Do the extra rep or two, increase your range of motion, and increase resistance as you get stronger. Intensity goes hand in hand with Variety and Consistency. The combination of the three work together as a triad that creates a platform for success. The programs provide variety. Your plan will keep you consistent.

Purpose. Your purpose is to have a better life. Exercise and eating right help you feel better. When you feel better, you do more. When you do more, you meet other people. A healthy lifestyle gives us the energy to be better than before. We want to participate, share, communicate, and build a community have purpose in our lives. If you had never found Beachbody, you might be right back where you were isolated, with nothing to share, no purpose, because you weren't doing anything with anyone.

Reality. Why do we want life to be different than it is? Why do we think about who we were and who we're going to be more than who we are? We certainly talk a good game about who we are now. Why do we try to predict the future with the hope that wishful thinking is enough to change it? Life is NOT the way it was. It's the way it is. Life is not our fantasy predictions of the future or our glory days of the past. Life is that thing that is happening to you as you read this. We fall into the trap of living in the past and future because right here is not good enough. Back then and up there are keeping you from right now.

Sports. Take the onus off of weight, inches, and body fat percentages and put the focus on MOVING - from dancing, rock climbing, and mountain biking to table tennis. I love that ping-pong! Think in terms of "can do" instead of "look like." Sports are fun and help develop balance and coordination which in turn accelerates your results. Jump, kick, run, spin, throw, skate, shoot, hit, score, compete . . . PLAY!

The Plan. SCHEDULE ALL WORKOUTS IN ADVANCE. This creates accountability. Plan an entire month ahead of time. Try to schedule as many workouts as possible with friends who have similar goals. WOWY was developed so that we could find an easy and effective way to stay accountable and work out together. Now we've got people in Trumbull, CT (my hometown), doing Power 90 at the same time with people in Hollywood. That is cool!

Sleep (and stress). Stressed out, sleep-deprived people don't eat right and exercise regularly. Stress depletes energy, strength, and desire, while poor sleep habits affect your moods and immune function along with cognitive and motor performance. Burning the candle at both ends makes it impossible to be fit and healthy.

Loving It. Exercise and workouts involve commitment, determination, planning, consistency, and intensity. If you don't like what you're doing, there's no way on earth you'll succeed. Enthusiasm is a very big piece of the puzzle. Get creative and stay curious. If you enjoy doing Power 90 exclusively and it works for you, then keep doing it until it doesn't. If you get part way through P90X and it's not your cup of tea, then stop, and do something else. Something's got to bring you back day after day, week after week. Love it (tolerate it) or leave it.

Flexibility. Flexibility is the fountain of youth. Flexible people are much less prone to injury. Yoga and stretching allow you to bring more intensity to your workouts. Flexibility is the key component to becoming less vulnerable and more durable. Aging has a funny way of making everything we do harder. Staying limber and flexible is the way to prevent that from happening.

Food and Supplements. You are what you eat! Food and supplements are your fuel. The right fuel supplies proper energy and recovery through balanced brain chemistry. The right supplements simply fill in gaps in your diet.