The holiday season is when most people throw in the towel on summer fitness goals. Darkness, winds and cookie trays will soon be here. Are you ready to wage your own war -- against weight gain and muscle atrophy? Here are six tips to obtain abs of steel.
Tip 1: Hire a personal trainer
Here are three of Atlanta’s best trainers:
Lilian Abdelmalek, Dynamic Speed and Agility Training
The Forum at Lenox Square Mall
3393 Peachtree Road #2010, Atlanta
404-484-9318
Brad Kolowich, Brad Kolowich, Jr. Personal Training
704 Berkley Ave., Suite C, Atlanta
678-491-9790
Bill Sonnemaker, Catalyst Fitness
2233 Peachtree Rd NE, Suite M, Atlanta
404-856-0513
Tip 2: On cold days, stay inside and focus on strength.
It's easy to run in Atlanta during the summer. The skies are blue and the sun is shining. On a cold, dreary day in February? Suddenly that outdoor boot camp in Piedmont Park seems like a surprisingly unpleasant place to be. Don't fight Mother Nature -- spend your winter focusing on strength and muscle gain. Too often, women incorrectly eschew strength work fearing they'll bulk up in a masculine way (and men often skip cardio hoping to maintain those sweet gains). But the reality is that cross training will help you take your body and athletic performance to new peaks.
There are 82 CrossFit affiliate gyms in the Atlanta area. Use the map tool at map.crossfit.com to find the one closest to your home or office.
Tip 3: Join any group-based program.
Join one of Atlanta's 29 Orangetheory fitness centers, or any of the countless boot camps in town. If you go each day at the same time, you may find a community of fitness-focused friends. In no time, you could actually want to work out.
Operation Boot Camp is an Atlanta focused multi-site operation worth trying. Visit operationbootcamp.com or call 1-888-734-8669 (888-7-fit-now) for more information about test-driving a boot camp workout at the location most convenient for you.
Brookhaven – Atlanta
Buckhead / Miami Circle – Atlanta
Candler Park – Atlanta
Chastain Park – Atlanta
Druid Hills High School – Emory – Atlanta
Piedmont Park – Atlanta
Decatur High School – Decatur
Drake Field – Peachtree City
Tip 4: Pick one day each week to try something new.
There are plenty of workouts you've never tried. Many of them are indoors, which is a bonus in winter. Now that you've got a Tuesday-Thursday-Saturday strength program in place, and a Monday-Wednesday cardio plan, why not make Sunday the day to try rock climbing at Atlanta Rocks! or a spin class with Keith Thompson at KTX Fitness? Here's a thought-starting list of 20 indoor workouts to try in winter.
Tip 5: Don't eat that
You can easily gain 10 pounds in the weeks between Thanksgiving and the new year. But not if you keep burning calories at a rate that exceeds your intake. To avoid intake increase, place a Thanksgiving-to-2016 embargo on all dessert items and sugary snacks.
Tip 6: Hook yourself up
After all that hard work, you deserve to feel great about yourself. So do it. Buy yourself some super cool workout gear.
Joining a basketball league? Get some new Kobe X's. Been to spin class every day this week? Purchase a fresh pair of Lululemon yoga pants. Power through the coldest day in February? Stop off at Target on the way home and snag a FitBit, because you’re going to need more technology if you hope to track all that excellence.
Rewarding your diligence, body transformation and consistency with the coolest new gear is an effective motivational tool to keep you pushing through the cold. Embrace it, and maybe you'll be the big winner (or biggest loser) at that next pool party.
Here are three tried and true sporting goods stores in town for your gear-grabbing pleasure:
Nike Store
Lenox Square Mall
3393 Peachtree Rd, Atlanta, GA 30326
(404) 846-5549
High Country Outfitters
Buckhead, Midtown, East Cobb
Dicks Sporting Goods
10 Atlanta area locations
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