Thursday, 29 January 2015

 One Major Misconception That Could Be Keeping The Ladies From Achieving Their Fitness Goals




The man in the image above is probably in peak physical condition and there are few men and women alike who would deny that he doesn't have an incredibly impressive body. But what most, if not all, women would agree upon is that the physique of this weight lifter is not exactly what they’re aiming to achieve when they head off to the gym after work! Just because you wouldn't mind being with him, doesn't mean you want to be him.

“I’m afraid that weight training will make me look like the hulk.”

This is, unfortunately, a pervasive misconception amongst women in Los Angeles, who actually end up avoiding one of the most effective forms of weight loss and fitness training because they are afraid it is going to turn them into an Arnold Schwarzenegger lookalike. Here’s what Raphael Verela, an experienced SantaMonica gym instructor and owner of Circuit Works LA fitness studio, has to say about the misconception concerning weight training:

 “Ladies, you do not need to worry about bulking up and looking more masculine by training with weights. It’s an issue of biology: your body simply doesn’t contain the testosterone necessary to build muscle mass the same way men do.”

The Virtues of Circuit Training: Combining Cardio and Weights

In the meantime, however, many women don’t challenge themselves with weights and prefer to keep their workouts to running on the treadmill or cycling in an effort to stay trim and fit. But, according to Raphael, this could be keeping them from the body they are working out so hard to achieve.

“Circuit training integrates both cardiovascular and weight-based exercises and the combination of the two will rip through any physical plateau you may have been struggling to surpass,” says the Santa Monica gym instructor. “What many women need to realize is that weight lifting is not about building huge muscle mass, it’s about whole body toning and fat burning. Weight training kicks your metabolism into overdrive and torches calories far faster and more efficiently than running on the treadmill for hours at a time. Combining the two kinds of exercise can challenge your body in a totally new way and expand those fitness horizons. You’ll find yourself achieving far more in far shorter a time.”
It’s for this reason that circuit training is considered one of the most effective forms of exercise for Los Angeles ladies looking to get into peak physical condition… without looking like they’re being throttled by their own neck muscles!

Contact Circuit Works

If you have any questions or would like to arrange to meet with us, please give us a call at 310.664.1017. To find out more about what Circuit Works is and what we do, Click Here.



Friday, 17 October 2014

Gym Instructors Discuss the Three Reasons Santa Monica Residents Could Be Failing Their Fitness Goals and How to Overcome Them, PART 3



Welcome to the final installment of this three-part article series on the common mistakes Santa Monica residents make when trying to achieve those fitness and weight loss goals. In Part 1 and 2, some top Fitness Center Santa Monica explained the first two mistakes and these were that people simply don’t train correctly or they use injury as an excuse not to do any exercise at all. While there are some injuries that deserve some rest, most can be successfully rehabilitated with the right exercise regime, which is why it’s always recommended that you get the advice of your doctor and then get back into it!

Let’s take a look at the final error that could be keeping you from your goals!






Mistake # 3: You’ve Lost Your Workout Mojo

Anyone who has ever exercised regularly at a gym in Santa Monica will know that the biggest hurdle – bigger even than fatigue – is a lack of motivation. You aren’t to blame really; doing the same routine day in and day out can be exceptionally boring and sometimes you just don’t have the discipline for it. The thing is, there are ways to prevent gym boredom, so take a look at the following recommendations and see how you can get the joie de vivre back into your workouts!

  • Change your gym routine: Are you doing the same exercises you’ve done for years? Time to try a new machine or switch out one gym equipment for another. Maybe try swimming instead of running on the treadmill. Better yet, take up a circuit training class instead of doing your usual routine.

  • Switch it up: Pushing and challenging your body can often have really inspiring results; enough to overcome any boredom and encourage you to come back for more. You can see your body adapting to newer, tougher exercises and you’ll find muscles popping up where you didn’t even know you had muscle before! So, instead of trying to run for longer or do more reps, simply increase your intensity, your speed or your weights and make sure to rest in between! Interval training yields better results, faster, advise Santa Monica fitness instructors.

  • Change your exercise routine: Didn’t we just cover this? Not quite: by changing your exercise routine, we suggest that you try a circuit training class run by a group trainer, rather than plodding your usual 30 minutes on the treadmill. These thrilling one-hour classes are intense and involve the fast-paced switching between multiple machines and pieces of gym equipment. It’s virtually impossible to get bored during circuit training and you can get a whole body workout in just one hour!

  • Listen to music: Music has an incredible hold on the body. Listening to your favorite tunes can distract your mind from what you’re doing and make the time fly by faster. Listening to the latest club anthems can send adrenalin surging through your body and give your limbs the energy to take on new challenges! 




  • Watch a movie or your favorite series: Most cardio equipment nowadays comes with screens and USB ports, so you can plug in your hard drive and a set of earphones and keep yourself entertained while working out. Don’t forget to switch up the intensity on your settings though. It can be easy to forget that you’re trying to get fit when you’re riveted by the latest episode of True Blood.

  • Keep a gym diary: Keep a record of your time, calories burned, exercises covered and how you felt before and after gym. It can be extremely encouraging to see how you’ve progressed by looking back at your earlier entries.

Through one or more of the above-mentioned methods, you can keep yourself engaged and excited by working out at any Gym inSanta Monica, thereby beating gym boredom and the mental shackles that hold you back from achieving your weight loss and fitness goals!
 

Monday, 13 October 2014

Our Best and Most Inspiring Books for Weight Loss and Fitness in Santa Monica, PART 2







Welcome to the second half of this two-part article series on the top inspirational books that could help Santa Monica residents achieve their personal fitness and Weight Loss Los Angeles goals. In Part 1, we provided a synopsis on the following excellent reads:


1.      Awaken the Giant Within: How to Take Immediate Control of Your Mental, Emotional, Physical and Financial Destiny! By Anthony Robbins.

2.      Chicken Soup for the Soul. By Jack Canfield and Mark Victor Hansen

3.      Eat That Frog! 21 Great Ways to Stop Procrastinating and Get More Done in Less Time. By Brian Tracy

4.      Failing Forward: Turning Mistakes into Stepping Stones for Success. By John C. Maxwell

Let’s take a look at some more fantastic books for those who need a little nudge in the right direction. Please do note that these books do not necessarily focus exclusively on Santa Monica Fitness and weight loss nor on specific workouts such as circuit training. Rather, they provide advice and methods for changing your attitude, perspective and life philosophies so as to achieve personal success and overcome adversity.





Top Inspirational Book List, Continued

1.      The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People: Powerful Lessons in Personal Change.

By Stephen R. Covey

Being successful is about more than getting that high-powered job and enjoying a vacation somewhere in the world once a year. It’s about developing the right principles and perspective that you can apply to all spheres in your life, from your personal relationships to your health and fitness. Santa Monica residents who read this book can expect to learn about the pathways to greater human dignity, liberty, fairness, service, integrity and change, which lend to us the wisdom necessary to master ourselves and achieve success.

2.      The Magic of Thinking Big

David Schwartz

This book is really about rewiring our brains to rid ourselves of negative thinking. It provides you with sound advice and the steps necessary to silence and, better yet, assassinate your inner saboteur. Are you convinced you’ll never reach your goal weight, even though you think you’re doing everything you can in order to do so? With Schwartz’ help you can discover fresh horizons and capabilities and, in doing so, blast through those fitness and weight loss goals. Don’t be surprised if you find yourself changing your aspirations to something more ambitious, like putting Pamela Anderson to shame when you climb into your bikini for summer thanks to a solid interval training program!

3.      Feel the Fear… and Do It Anyway

Susan Jeffers

Fear is one of the most debilitating forces in our lives. We allow it to hold us back and to keep us from taking the risks that yield the greatest rewards, even when the risks involved don’t involve the loss of anything of value. This “phenomenal classic” teaches readers how to break through the self-imposed limitations and boundaries that prevent us from achieving our sublime selves and how to confront and deconstruct our fears and move past them permanently. If you’re afraid of change or have convinced yourself that you could never be fit, slim, healthy, beautiful and successful, this is a must-read for you. It doesn’t matter what your particular fear is… this book can help you to overcome it.




Other Good Reads:

·         Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity (David Allen)
·         The Greatest Salesman in the World            (Og Mandino)
·         The Power of Your Subconscious Mind (Joseph Murphy)
·         The Power of Positive Thinking (Norman Vincent Peale)