While top level footballers may get a lot of bad publicity – largely due to their stratospheric salaries and the often lurid stories about their lifestyles – there is little doubting the fitness levels of these players. An outfield player, on average, will run 10 kilometres during a game and this will be a combination of jogging, running and flat out sprints.
Rabid score-keeping is turning us from people who enjoy doing fitness to maniacs who fear failure because we have missed a training session or not reached a target. So how do we re-discover rational fitness?
An article in The Guardian newspaper outlined the positive impact that having a sense of purpose had upon your motivation levels. This has implications for how you set goals for your workout.
A good diet is essential if you are working out regularly and putting your body under stress. Ensuring you eat the right amount and the right foodstuffs will help you train harder and, importantly, help you stay fit and healthy.
Interval training is one of the best ways to get results from our cardiovascular training. This means training at high and low levels of intensity, rather than training at one pace.
Getting fit and reaching your health goals is a personal and individual thing, right?
Well, while it is true that no-one else can do your fitness work for you; no-one else can get you up, put your gym kit on and walk you into the gym, there is a lot to be said for team work once you are there.
Whether it is running a race, cycling for charity, joining a team and playing in a league, doing a muddy adventure challenge or participating in a workplace challenge such as reaching step targets, putting your fitness to the test in a competitive environment is good for a number of reasons.
When you have completed a tough workout or played a tough match, how you recover is as important as how you train or perform. Certainly, a hard session or a period of sustained activity will leave you with sore, stiff muscles but the last thing you should do is just decide to sit it out. This is where active recovery comes in.
If you are following a training regime for any length of time, then your body will adapt to the stress your exercise is putting on it. This means the muscles, heart and lungs all adapt so they can cope with the work load. While this is great for efficiency, it does mean that you have to work harder to lose weight.
A lean, toned body is many a gym-goer’s dream. Unless you are training to become the next Mr or Mrs Universe, then mostly you will be seeking ripped muscles, a sleek torso and not a hint of flab anywhere.
