I know it’s tempting. I know the sweat makes you feel like you’ve accomplished something. I know there is something to be said for the hanging-on-for-another-minute feeling. I know the mindless movement allows your brain to relax, to be creative, or to just do nothing, for a brief moment in your day.

But it’s all a lie.

Hours and hours of mindless walking or running, spinning in circles on the elliptical, climbing the stepmill, or rowing till you can’t push or pull any further…NONE of these repetitious activities will result in miraculous fat-melting, cellulite-reducing, or more importantly, body-changing results.

Think about the image you would like to see when you look in the mirror. Skinny and bony with loose, ripple-y skin? Or shapely, firm, smooth and sexy? I know the answer. And so do you.

Before you read any further, I want you to understand that you can have EITHER body I just described above.

IF you want the skinny and bony look that looks kinda freakish in summer clothes, or God forbid – a swimsuit…then I encourage you to get back on that treadmill, strap into the elliptical for the long-haul, climb ‘til you drop and row across the Pacific. Keep that up for a significant amount of time, and YES – YOU TOO can look like an emaciated runway model with absolutely no tone, no strength, no endurance, and no energy. And believe me, you will have that loose and ripple-y skin, too.

OR…you can step away from the cardio machines. Separate your mind from the myth that training will make you look bulky, masculine, or thick. Move to the OTHER part of the gym where the weights are racked and the bars are heavy. Scary. I know. But it’s worth it to get out of your comfort zone.

Here’s the thing: The body is an amazing, adaptable machine. It’s how we’re made. That said, all those hours you’ve logged doing ‘cardio’ will result in your body becoming very accustomed to the demands you are placing on it. All in the name of efficiency – because as soon as you do something just ONCE, your body is already figuring out how to do it more efficiently and with less effort than the time before. Once. That’s it!

Think about when you learned to ride a bike. You were successful because your body made the necessary adaptations to balance, to pedal, to steer…all at the same time, in a straight line. And then, what happened the first time you hit a rock, or pedaled into a little pile of gravel? You ended up toppled over with a scraped-up leg. Why did that happen? Because your body had never encountered that scenario before, and it didn’t know how to respond. But once that occurred, your body and your brain learned. It adapted. It figured out how to deal with that situation better the next time. Boom.

Sooooo… knowing this to be true…. WHY would you think that hours upon hours of the same activity is going to result in a different or shapelier physique? WHY would your body respond in a new way to the same activity over and over again? Newsflash! It won’t.

Enter: Weight training. Yes. I said it.

The beauty of weight training is that you can push yourself (and your body) to new challenges.

EVERY. SINGLE. TIME. And when your body is constantly challenged to do new things, the result is change, growth, and shape.

Now before you interrupt me with your excuses – you don’t want to “get bulky” or have “huge muscles” or “be a bodybuilder” – just stop. First and foremost, it is very difficult to get big or bulky when lifting weights. It takes YEARS to build the big muscles you are envisioning right now! And women in particular - you will never be able to achieve the “bulky, monster look” without the help of steroids. So…as long as you steer clear of steroids, you will NOT get “bulky” just because you are hitting the weights.

The MUSCLE is critical to give your body SHAPE. When you have MUSCLE, and you are
conscientious about your nutrition, you will lower the percentage of body fat you carry, and the result will be smooth, curvy, sexy SHAPE….NOT skin-and-bones.

Here is another reality check: MANY people with outstanding physiques do LITTLE or NO cardio most of the year. Yes, you read that right. Why not? Because they know that the time they spend lifting heavy weight and challenging their bodies is going to result in creating the shape they desire – NOT endless cardio sessions. If anything, hours of cardio will actually REDUCE their hard-earned muscle! Yikes! No one wants that!

And if you needed another reason to lift heavy things up and then put them down, there is this:

We are ALL fighting aging. Every. Day.

And what happens as we age? Loss of muscle tone, coordination, strength, skin elasticity, and energy levels. Ugh.

So what happens when we consistently and regularly challenge our body to respond to
progressively increasing demands? It ADAPTS. It FIGHTS. It SURVIVES… making us stronger that day, and into the next day. And you IMPROVE your muscle tone, coordination, strength, skin elasticity and energy levels!! Wahoo!

There is a woman I see at the gym every morning, 4-5 days a week. She splits her time between the recumbent bike, the rower, and the elliptical…for an hour and a half! I have been watching her do this over and over for the last YEAR.

Now – please ask me – how much has her physique improved?

Her skin is still flabby. Her butt is still flat. Her arms are still toothpicks. Her love handles are still hanging on.

NO CHANGE.

This is the definition of insanity: Doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.

PLEASE don’t be that person. Step away from the cardio machines. Buy yourself a session or two with an experienced personal trainer (I happen to know a great one!) if you are unsure about what to do in the weight room. Get your muscles working by lifting weights. DON’T BE AFRAID OF THE CHALLENGE!

Remember learning to ride a bike. It was a little scary… took a bit of time… gave you a few bruises. But YOU DID IT.

Make the commitment to step out of your comfort zone and challenge yourself and you will NOT be disappointed! Your body will respond in amazing ways. You will be stronger than you think. You will shape your body in ways you never imagined.

Walk with purpose into your gym, right past the treadmill and beyond those ellipticals…turn your cap around, set your jaw and hit the dumbbells.

I promise - you won’t be sorry.

All too frequently as a trainer and coach I am told by clients that they do not have enough timeto work out on a regular basis, which is why they cannot lose weight or re-shape their physique.

This is the result of believing one needs to spend hours lifting weights to build muscle and even more hours doing cardio to burn the fat away.

I’m going to let you in on a little secret: One of the best, most effective, and research-proven exercise strategies to use for fat loss is high-intensity circuit training (HICT) using your own body weight as resistance.

High-intensity circuit training (HICT) combines aerobic and resistance training into a single exercise bout that lasts approximately 7 minutes. Each circuit is repeated 2-3 times, depending on the amount of time that you have. And as body weight provides the only form of resistance, this type of program can be done anywhere!

HICT is NOT a new concept, but it is growing in popularity because of its efficiency and practicality for time-constrained adults who want to get fit. The key to this type of program’s effectiveness lies in the high-intensity focus with limited periods of rest. That means you really have to PUSH yourself in this type of training, or you will NOT see the results you desire.

When resistance training exercises use large muscle groups with very little rest between sets, research shows that the aerobic and metabolic benefits (i.e. fat-burning) are present for UP TO 72 hours after a high-intensity exercise bout has been completed!

There is also greater impact on fat loss with HICT, compared to that with traditional steady-state aerobic work or traditional weight training! Did you read that correctly?? Yes! HICT is MORE effective at fat-burning than traditional cardio and weight training programs!

If you are new to exercise, the HICT workout is great for you, too! By using bodyweight, you will start off with movement that is appropriate for your fitness level, and as you get stronger, you will notice huge improvements in your pace, your intensity, and your stamina.

And for those of you who are interested in staying fit for health reasons: HICT is also an extremely effective and efficient means to increasing your VO2max, which is a marker for improved cardiopulmonary health, as well as decrease insulin resistance (a major indicator for type 2 diabetes).

Throw away those over-hyped, so-called fitness magazine programs. Say goodbye to long hours on the elliptical machine. If you are looking to improve your overall health and decrease body fat, HICT is the strategy to employ.

What does a HICT look like? So glad you asked!

Exercises in a HICT circuit should be placed in an order that allows for opposing muscle groups to alternate between resting and working. An example of this would be a push-up (upper body) that is followed by a squat (lower body).

In addition, if a particular exercise creates a significant increase in heart rate or intensity (like jump squats), then the exercise that follows should be one that lowers the heart rate or intensity slightly (such as abdominal crunches).

Each HICT training circuit should consist of 9-12 exercises. Again, it is important to note that all muscles are used, and are used at an appropriate intensity during your training session. The key is your INTENSITY! I didn’t say it was going to be easy….but it WILL be effective when you do it RIGHT!

In-between exercises, the rest period is VERY short – like, 10 seconds! Just enough time to transition to the next exercise, but keeping the intensity high throughout the entire circuit.

Below I have included a HICT workout for you to follow. Because the focus is on bodyweight training only, you don’t even need to “find the time” to drive to the gym! You can do this workout in the living room, in the backyard, or out in the park! You will need a timer (try a free apps download to your phone) and a towel (‘cause you’re going to get sweaty)…that’s it!

This is a 12-station HICT program. The exercise order provides total body exercises to significantly increase the heart rate while the lower, upper, and core exercises function to maintain the increased heart rate, while developing strength!

Perform each exercise for 30 seconds. Rest/transition only 10 seconds between exercises.

Total time for the entire circuit is approximately 7 minutes. REPEAT the circuit for a total of 2-3 times through. And PUSH YOURSELF!

If you are not familiar with some of the exercises I have listed below, feel free to check out my YouTube channel (www.youtube.com/c/MelanieDaly), where you can see each exercise modeled.

The hardest part of high intensity training is really maintaining the intensity. Remember: you will only get out of this what you put in! If you move slowly through your 30-second time slots, you will NOT have the necessary intensity to see the results you desire! Grab a competitive friend if you need someone to PUSH YOU to the right level of intensity!

And when you are ready to move on to the next step in your training, give me a shout. I can help you move on to the next level, so you continue seeing the progress you want to see!

Here’s your HICT workout – Get started today!

30 seconds work/10 seconds to rest & transition:

1. Jumping Jacks total body

2. Wall sit lower body

3. Push-up upper body

4. Abdominal crunch core

5. Step-ups onto chair/bench total body

6. Squat lower body

7. Triceps dip on chair/bench upper body

8. Plank core

9. High knees running in place total body

10. Lunges lower body

11. Push-up & T-rotation upper body

12. Side plank core

Rest 30 seconds between circuits. Repeat for a total of 2-3 times through.

“Tell me exactly what you do to look the way you do.”

She was looking at me like an eager student. If we hadn’t been standing in the locker room of a commercial gym, I wouldn’t have been surprised to see her holding a reporter’s notebook and clicking a pen in preparation of writing down all the secrets I could divulge.

Standing there in sweaty gym clothes, I was caught off-guard after my evening workout.  I am not a superstar or a celebrity model, so I was a bit mystified with her question. 

“Excuse me?” I stammered.  

“You look amazing,” she continued on. “I just want to know exactly what you do to look that way. You know, step by step: What do you do? What do you eat? How do you exercise? What exercises do you do? How many repetitions? Do you run? What do I need to do to look the way you do?”

I was at a loss. 

After all, how can one encapsulate years of work into a sound bite? I was baffled that anyone might think what I had accomplished could be simplified into a series of easy steps.  

The last twenty years of personal struggle with my body, my diet, and my self-confidence came flooding back through my mind. There was no way for me to tell her that I had been anorexic throughout high school and college. I couldn’t share with her how I then ballooned to 50 pounds over my ideal weight and succeeded in carrying that extra weight around for years. I didn’t have the time to discuss how body image issues have plagued me throughout my life.

This young woman wanted the easy answers. The step-by-step magazine version.  

Newsflash! There is NO easy. Ever. In anything. But especially not in fitness.

Yes!  I wanted it to be easy, too!  It took me those 20+ years to figure out that developing a fit and healthy body isn’t, can’t, and won’t ever be easy. Heck, even when you THINK you have it all figured out, you don’t.  Something in your life changes. You change. So your process has to change.  

At that moment, I realized – yes, there really IS a “secret formula” that guarantees success in meeting whatever health or fitness goals have been set. It’s really quite simple:

You have to do the work.

Day in. Day out. Day after day. Consistently sticking to your plan.

Inconsistency in implementation is our greatest enemy when it comes to health and fitness goal achievement.

Too often we get started on something with enthusiasm, only to get tired of the routine and throw it all away before we begin to see results.  Remember how busy the gyms were in January?  Where are those people now? On to the next thing. No consistency.  No change. No results.

I will admit there is a lot of information out there regarding diet and exercise, and it can be overwhelming. Don’t let that stop you from taking steps toward improved fitness. Find a trainer and nutritionist (I happen to know a great one!) to design a plan specifically for you. Together, develop a strategy that is aligned with your life AND your goals and then get moving on it!  

This doesn’t have to be an apple cart turnover of your life. This is a journey – a continuous, ongoing process. It WILL NOT occur overnight, so don’t expect it to.  

Follow a plan that allows you to make incremental changes – I call them baby steps.  What is ONE thing you can do that moves you closer to your goal and is so small that you almost don’t realize the change? THAT is where you start.  

Pick a habit that will help you to reach your goal. Determine where this new habit is on a “confidence” scale. On a scale of 1-10, ask yourself: “How confident am I that I can do this habit every day for the next 14 days?”

If you answer a 9 or 10, get started implementing that one little habit into your life immediately!

However, if your answer was less than a 9, either choose a different habit or make your chosen habit easier until you are really confident you can do it. Give yourself permission to make it easier and easier on yourself until you’re at least a 9/10 on the confidence scale. Then just do it.

This is about being truly honest with yourself.  Forget about what you think you should be able to do.  Instead, what can you do, right now?  Start with one easy habit, and then consistently implement it.  Day after day after day. Soon that habit will become so naturally ingrained in your life that you will be ready to implement another one. And so on.

Ultimately, this was the “secret to success” tip I gave to the young woman in the locker room that evening. It’s not what she wanted to hear, but it was the best I had to offer.

You have to make changes that are manageable in your life. If it is not manageable, it won’t last. You fall behind, get frustrated, and feel defeated. Then you’re back at square one, trying to figure out the secret formula.

Break the cycle today by making just one change that gets you closer to your goal.  

When I finally started to do this in my own life, the changes started to come. There is no simple infographic to follow, and there never will be. I’ve been working on this for years. I continue to be a work in progress. And so will you.  

Pick your goal. Develop a plan. Break that plan down into baby steps you are confident you can implement with ease.  

And above all, just do the work. Be consistent. You’ve got this.