The best comedic parody comes by taking a situation that everyone can relate to and then taking it to an extreme. Liz Lemon (Tina Fey) is a major character on the NBC hit comedy 30 rock. Her character is a comedic farce of actual working single women. One of the many issues she faces is managing her weight. During an episode she is asked about her workout routine. In the conversation she mentions that she owns a treadmill. Her co-worker doesn’t believe her. In response Liz comments that she uses the treadmill every day, and it cuts to a flashback of Liz Lemon on her treadmill spooning an ice cream sundae into her mouth while on the slowest setting.

While "The Liz Lemon Workout" is a farce, it is based on an element everyone can relate too. How many times have we taken off workouts? We might not be taking it to the extreme of Liz Lemon spooning ice cream into our mouth while slowly walking, but we do cut off minutes or slow down our workouts. It is a very simple thing not to be working out when at the gym.

In many ways it is more damaging to weight loss goals to not push yourself at the gym, than to being unfaithful to a nutritional diet. It takes dedication to motivate yourself to go to the gym day after day. If a person isn’t seeing results at the gym it is hard to justify the time spent at the gym. On those days when it is difficult to make it to the gym, visible results are the best way to add motivation to push through the distractions and make it through another workout.

There are many different things that you can do to get more out of a gym session. Planning out your workout will help you to maximize results. Walking between machines between sets can really drain the time at the gym. It is good to coordinate your workout so that you aren’t wasting time between sets. Being overly social at the gym can also hurt workouts. It is good to have a workout buddy that will go with and motivate you, but many times that person can turn into a large distraction if they are looking to make working out a social activity. Self-motivation is also required to get the most out of a workout. You need to push yourself through the plateaus you hit when working out. Many people struggle with this self-discipline or self-motivation. If you really find that you can’t push yourself, then it would be a good idea to find someone else that could coach you when working out.

While you shouldn’t waste time at the gym, you shouldn’t waste time after workouts. It is important to give your body the nutrients it requires after finishing a workout. This includes getting the proper liquid hydration, and taking protein. Your body uses protein to build lean muscles, which will help burn more fats and calories. Taking a whey protein supplement within thirty minutes after a workout will provide your body with the whey protein it needs to build more lean muscle.

Although "The Liz Lemon Workout" is an extreme farce it should serve as a reminder not to waste time. When at the gym try to maximize your time, and don’t waste the chance to give your body the nutrients it needs after a workout.