You're busy. I get it. We're all busy. It's all about your priorities and how to schedule the 'busyness of life' around them. Your health is something that should be at the top or near the top of that list. The MAC is here to help you reach your health and fitness goals and to make them a priority. As a wife, a mom of 2, and a Group Fitness Instructor, my to-do list can sometimes be a little daunting. I'm sure there are days when you feel the same. You wake up, get the kids ready, feed them breakfast, tell them to get their shoes on five thousand times, drop them off at school, go to work, pick the kids up from school, pretend that you understand their homework, fix dinner, hose the kids off (seriously, why are kids always sticky?), and then get everyone to bed. Then you get to wake up and do it all over again. Not to mention soccer practice, church events, date nights, school events, laundry, dishes, and figuring out what that weird smell coming from the refrigerator is. Your schedule may contrast from mine, but you get the picture. We're all busy with our crazy, over-scheduled lives. That's why we need to take time out of our agendas and be earnest about putting ourselves first and getting a good, quality workout into our day. It's so easy for our workout to be pushed down further and further on our to do lists because we find more important and pressing matters to be dealt with. You've probably pushed back your gym session for another day because you had 9384 loads of laundry staring you in the face. But we all know that the only thing you ended up staring at was Facebook. Been there, done that. But you know what? That laundry will be there tomorrow, get your workout in. It's important. You're important. But you're saying that you don't have two hours of your day to spare so you can go to the gym. (But ironically you've been asked by Netflix, "Are you still watching?" way too many times.) Good news! Shorter, more intense workouts are a perfect solution to fit into your busy schedule. Even 45 minutes can do the trick. I mean, that's 3% of your day. (And that's how long it took me to figure out that math.) At The MAC, we have FREE Group Fitness classes for members. A lot of those classes are 45 minutes. We even have some 30 and 40 minutes classes. Each class is effective and will give you a butt-kicking workout in a short amount of time. So not having enough time in your day is not an excuse anymore. One benefit from attending a shorter class is that you have a tendency to work harder. You may end up burning more calories in a shorter, rather than longer class because of the intensity you are working at. Studies have shown that participants may back off on their intensity level when attending a longer class so they have enough energy to last the entire time. But if you're attending a shorter class, you're more likely to crank up the intensity level because you don't feel like you need to reserve your energy for later on. Because there is no later on! Short and sweet! Empty that tank! Other benefits of attending shorter classes:
- Reduction in overuse injuries
- A 45 minute class may feel less intimidating than a longer class. (As someone who is not particularly graceful in a cardio dance class, I would much rather look like horrible dancer for 45 minutes, than 60 minutes.) Shorter classes make it easier for participants to try new classes and formats.
- Pushing yourself harder in shorter classes yields many fitness and health benefits - increasing metabolism, boosting muscular strength, increase heart health, and reducing stress levels! Sounds good to me! Where do I sign? :)
The hardest part about the workout will be getting there. Find the time. It's only 45 minutes. Cliché alert!: Quality over quantity. Make your health and fitness a priority. Our Group Fitness schedule is below and makes it so easy for you to find a time that works for you and your busy schedule. Group Fitness Schedule: http://the-mac.com/class-schedules/ Written By: Melissa Prins, Xtreme Cycle Director 