You’ve got to keep your workout routine varied. By By SPC Ryan D. Green, via Wikimedia Commons

A few weeks ago I walked into the gym when it was pouring with rain outside and thought, why am I here? I could be at home all snuggled up on the couch watching television in my pajamas. Instead I am here, in this humid gym. It was then that I realized the reason for my lack of motivation was because I have done the same workouts for months.

Every day that I go to the gym, it is the same thing, maybe in a different sequential order but the same exercises. After doing the same exercises day after day and month after month, I slowly lost my motivation. It was at that moment that I made the choice to switch up my workouts.

There are a few good benefits for switching up the exercises in your daily workouts. For me the most important thing to is to make my workouts exciting and challenging. Without the challenge of new exercises, it is easy to get bored and not put in the effort needed to make a workout effective.

When you do the same workouts, your muscles are not stressed enough and therefore they don’t tear, reconstruct and grow in a healthy cycle. It’s important to incorporate new and more difficult exercises into your routine. If you are a runner, then change it up by doing sprints instead of a 14-mile run. The same goes for if you lift weights, switch up the reps, sets and the amount you lift. This can be done in Yoga as well. I’m sure there is a difficult pose you have always wanted to do but haven’t tried. The best thing to do is work on new, varied things a little at a time.

It is extremely important to establish fitness goals, no matter how crazy or out of reach they may sound. If you need some inspiration, check out Instagram pictures and videos of your favorite types of exercises. When you establish what your goal is, slowly work towards that, every day. For me, my goal is to be able to not only do multiple pull-ups but also to be able to do body weight exercises on the bars.

My first step is to just hang from a bar and let my muscles feel my body weight. Then I will try to do a pull up. The first ones will definitely be assisted with a band, but as time goes on, I can develop those muscles and be able to achieve my goals. So I encourage everyone to write down their fitness goals and the process to getting there. Make your first step towards that today, right now!

When it comes to fitness goals, Sabrina says to find out what works for you!

There are many articles out there on how to maintain your fitness goals and they all say the same thing. You must eat right, workout regularly, keep a food journal, have a workout partner to be accountable to and switch up your training routine regularly. While those are all great ideas to start with, I think the most important thing to do in order to maintain your fitness goals is create a plan that works for you.

If you don’t like working out with a partner then find your own groove. Find out what motivates YOU. Is it watching others at the gym and copying their exercises? Or is it watching fitness compilation videos on YouTube to help get you through your cardio session? The trick is finding what works for you and stick to that. If you have a hard time physically getting to the gym, try paying for a class or for personal training in advance. That way you have a smaller chance of cancelling since you already paid for the services. Another way I like to motivate myself is to put five dollars in a jar after every workout that I’ve completed. After a month or several weeks, I will use that money to purchase something special that I have been wanting for a while.

Now, the hardest part for many people is to maintain the “diet.” My thoughts are not to be on a specific diet but to eat as healthy as possible. If you have a difficult time drastically changing your diet from fast food to nothing but fruits and vegetables overnight then do it gradually. The best way to do that is to start with one meal a week. Start with making your breakfast healthy for one week and then focus on lunch, snacks and finally dinner. Don’t forget to allow yourself have a few unhealthy things every so often and when you do, do not feel guilty about it.

If you are starting a new fitness regimen I think it is very important to track how far you have come since the beginning.  Some people like to take before and after photos while others will weigh themselves throughout the process. I personally just track my progress with how tight or loose my clothes feel. I do not think it is healthy for a woman to constantly weigh herself as your weight fluctuates daily depending on water intake and diet.

Don’t be afraid to try multiple different ways to attain your fitness goals. If working out at 5 am works for you then maintain that. If keeping a food journal works for you then do it. Or if you share that food journal with a professional so they can give you suggestions, which is also very effective.

Play around with it, make it fun and most importantly give yourself credit for all of the work you put into attaining your fitness goals.

Like Fansmanship’s founders, Sabrina Haggie is from Cayucos, CA. She got the invitation of a lifetime last week and this is her account of what she did. Her interests include health and fitness and she’ll soon write a regular column on that subject that will appear on this site.

By Sabrina Haggie

It was like any other Friday afternoon until my best friend, Colin, (who lives in southern California) sent me a text message saying, “Wish you lived closer, I have tickets to the Lakers game tonight.” I get off work early on Fridays though, and I texted back. I was going to make it to this one. After scrambling to throw things together, I began the three-plus hour drive down to Los Angeles. I was so excited to be going to my first NBA game that even the LA traffic on a Friday at 5:00 couldn’t dampen my mood.

When your friend asks you to to go to a Lakers game, this isn’t exactly what you expect. By Sabrina Haggie

Screeching to a halt in my friend’s driveway at 6:45, there was only enough time to grab my purse and jump from my car into my friend’s and we were off. Colin saved the best news for the car ride, telling me that we were not only going to a Laker game but that we would be sitting courtside!

Court-side doesn’t mean just a few rows back from the court. In this case, it meant literally sitting with our feet on the court, at the edge of the Lakers bench! When we arrived at the Staples Center, we were escorted to a back entrance where we used our parking pass for VIP only. We had the car valeted and it was parked among the Lamborghinis, Ferraris and Bentleys. Waiting in line to get into the Staples Center was the first time I held the ticket that said Court Seat, listing the cost at $2,750.  In pure shock and excitement, I just looked around and absorbed everything. Once inside, we walked downstairs instead of following the crowd upstairs.  Weaving through a maze of corridors, riddled with security guards to check our ticket at every turn, we made our way to the court.

When Kobe told center Robert Sacre what to do, apparently Sacre listened. By Sabrina Haggie

The second I walked into the powerful lights of the Staples Center, I was awestruck.  The thrill of walking in front of everyone and sitting at the end of the Laker bench was indescribable. Once I sat down, I was looking everywhere, at the players on the court within touching distance, at the various celebrities strewn in with the crowd and finally looked down the Laker bench only to see Kobe Bryant sitting three seats away from me.  I literally hit Colin on the arm and said “Holy —(curse word), Kobe Bryant!”  Feeling a little embarrassed for my brassiness, I sat back in my extremely padded chair and started taking pictures. A lot of pictures. And video. I probably spent more time capturing the moment then taking a moment to enjoy it.

The game was wonderful — watching Kobe give advice from the bench is something you don’t see on TV. I witnessed him giving some sort of signal to center Robert Sacre. The next thing I know, Sacre scores at the other end of the court. Later, Kobe was giving Wesley Johnson tips which he then used to beat the defensive coverage and have an incredible game. The game ended when Jodie Meeks passed to Kendall Marshall for a final layup at the buzzer. The Lakers won 110-99, beating the Utah Jazz. The best part of the entire thing was Kobe Bryant coming up to us, shaking our hands and saying, “thanks for coming guys,” then I high fived the entire Laker team, including the coaches. True story.

Best. Night. Ever.