It may be June, but it’s never too late to get that summer body you’ve been wanting. Regular exercise at your local gym (like Fitness Connection) is a key component to getting healthier, but true health (and a better look) comes from making small changes in everyday habits. It’s easy!

Establish a baseline. Figure out where you’re starting from, and track your progress. How many pushups can you do? How long can you hold a plank? Get help from one of our staff members. They’re trained and ready to be your Fitness Connection and they can help you get started by showing you how to keep track of your progress in cold, hard numbers. If you want to get serious about it, talk to our fitness instructors about private training.

Juice it up. Skip the baked goods and treat yourself to healthy, nutrient-packed juices for a snack. This way you can sneak in all the produce you need and still give yourself a taste of something sweet during the day.

Sneak some yoga into your morning routine. You don’t have to bust out the mat and go the full hour; just do some simple yoga stretches and exercises in the morning. This will help build strength, ease stress, and tone your body. Not sure what moves to try? Ask a fitness instructor or come to a yoga class at Fitness Connection – they’re free with your membership.

Brown bag it. Save cash and calories by packing your lunch for work. Restaurant food (even the “healthy” stuff) frequently comes in much larger portions than you would make for yourself.

Get music that moves you. When you build your workout playlist, make sure to get songs that make you want to shake your booty – nothing can de-motivate your workout like slow songs or music you’re bored of. The best music can set a pace for your cardio workout and mental game.

HIIT it and quit it. If you want to maximize your time outdoors and minimize your time sweating in the gym, consider High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT). You can check out our previous blog post about HIIT or speak with a Fitness Connection staff member to see if HIIT is right for your fitness goals.

Target major muscle groups. Work those legs hard this summer. Squats and lunges work the quads and hamstrings (the largest muscles in your body), which means you’ll burn more calories during and after your workout.

Rest less during your workout. Turn your regular resistance training into genuine circuit training. By pushing yourself to do more and do it faster, you’ll get the same amount of work done in less time and push your muscles to work harder. If you want to know more about circuit training, check out our blog post.

Get a workout buddy. The benefits to working out with partners or groups are obvious: you’ll work harder and longer, and the extra accountability means you’ll show up more often too. It’s also just more fun to work out with a friend, and makes time at the gym (or out jogging) fly by.

Have any questions? Just ask any fitness instructor at Fitness Connection. We’re ready to help you meet your health goals.

What’s the ideal workout at your local gym? The answer is “the workout you’ll actually do,” of course. But how do you build a workout that you enjoy, but that’s also effective? The best possible workout is one that combines strength and cardio workouts and can have you in and out of the gym in about 30 minutes. That’s circuit training; and on top of being fast and effective, it’s highly customizable.

But how can you design a circuit training regimen this summer that helps you meet your fitness goals? It’s easy! Use these six steps to build your circuit and try it out. If you have any questions, the experts at Fitness Connection are happy to answer them at a gym near you.

1. Choose your time limit. To figure out how much time you can spend at each station in your circuit, figure out how much time you have overall. Aim for 30 minutes when possible, that way you can visit five stations for your workout at one minute apiece, which adds up to six circuits.
2. Pick an upper-body exercise. Fitness Connection has a wide range of choices for upper-body exercises, so whether you’re more comfortable with machines or free weights, we have something for you. You can do shoulder presses, standing dumbbell curls, or pushups. You have a lot of options, so just ask one of the fitness experts at your local Fitness Connection if you want to learn more.
3. Pick a lower-body exercise. Like your upper-body exercise, but focusing on everything below the waist. Some examples include walking lunges, sumo squats, or deadlifts. To hit your health goals, try to change up your workouts so you can keep your muscles surprised and on their toes.
4. Pick a compound exercise. Add some total-body movement in the mix so you can get your heart rate going. Jumping lunges, mountain climbers, or bench hop overs will get you on your way to your weight goals.
5. Choose a one-minute sprint. Short, fast sprints are one of the best ways to burn fat. Running, jumping rope, cycling, or some other form of fast, hard cardio will torch that fat and keep your heart rate up.
6. Rest! Take a minute (just one minute) and let your heart rate come down. You’ve earned the break, but don’t spend it in a sweaty heap! Instead, get some water, check your playlist, or just consider what your next circuit will be.

Just keep working that circuit until your time is up. That’s all it takes! If you’re ready to get going, visit the Fitness Connection gym closest to you and talk to our friendly, highly-trained fitness instructors. We’re eager and ready to be your Fitness Connection.

If you’ve been near a gym in the last few years, you’ve probably heard talk about the benefits of HIIT. But how do you know if HIIT is right for you? We’re glad you asked.

First, an understanding of what HIIT is. HIIT stands for high-intensity interval training. It’s a training technique that pushes you to give everything you have in a series of quick, intense bursts of exercise. These bursts of exercise are punctuated by short, sometimes active recovery periods. HIIT gets you fit by keeping your heart rate up and pumping while you burn more fat in less total workout time.

Fitness Connection is proud to offer HIIT classes to all members of our gyms. FC HIIT is a high-intensity interval training program that will get you super fit, super fast, in a fun and friendly class environment that understands your capabilities while pushing you to your fitness goals.

During FC HIIT, you’ll get a total body workout built from a variety of HIIT training methods. This workout is designed to help accelerate fat loss, while also building lean muscle that boosts your metabolism. You’ll put maximum effort into intervals from 30 to 75 seconds long, with short built-in recovery periods, to maximize the efficiency of your workout and drastically improve your cardiovascular fitness.

If you’re curious, here’s what you can expect from FC HIIT: You’ll engage in a 45-minute workout led by our trained personal fitness instructors. They’ll guide you through various cardio and strength drills to challenge your physical stamina and endurance. At every step, you’ll have the opportunity to dial up or dial down the intensity of your workout to customize it to your skill set. And no matter what level you choose, you’ll get a great total body workout led by our skilled fitness trainers!

If you want to give it a try, check the class schedule for your Fitness Connection. We can’t wait to see you in class.