Exercise
Isn’t it interesting how constant change is the driving force in our society, yet the hardest thing for us to change is ourselves?
Staying with a fitness program isn't always easy, especially if you are just getting started. Fitness enthusiasts, me included, will tell you that some days they’ve got it—and some days they don't.
As Aristotle said, “We are what we repeatedly do” and 50% of getting into shape is mental so let’s get our PMA (positive mental attitude) going and kick our exercise program into high gear! Yes- I say it all the time... you have to Move to Lose!
Improving Your Workout
The American Council on Exercise (ACE), a lead authority on fitness, suggests the following ten ideas to improve your workout:
1) Change the mode or intensity of your routine. For example, if you walk on the treadmill every morning, try increasing the incline or speed for periods of 3 minutes intermittently throughout your workout. When you change your routine, you wake up your body and avoid plateaus.
2) Hire a personal trainer. A trainer can allow you to focus solely on what your body is doing rather than worrying mentally about what you are going to do next and for how long. Trainers also often can contribute new ideas into your workout.
3) Eat properly and stay hydrated. This is a must. If you are skimping on fluids and fuel for your body, you will never achieve your potential. Your body needs these things to function properly and build muscle and endurance.
4) Emphasize quality over quantity. Believe it or not, quality workouts done less often equal better results than constantly working out. Properly spacing your workouts allows your body to recover and refuel so it can work efficiently at your next workout. Not to mention, working out too much leaves your body vulnerable to injuries.
5) Incorporate Mind-Body Training. Synchronizing your breathing with your body movements can result in a highly beneficial, meditative experience. Check out www.walking.about.com/cs/mindandspirit/a/breathwalk.htm for more information.
6) Exercise at the right time for your body. Figure out when you tend to have the most energy during the day and then use that to your advantage. If you are not a morning person, chances are you may never wake up early to get moving. Instead, carve out time to exercise in the afternoon or evening.
7) Find a workout partner. If you are exercising with someone else, there is a level of accountability to your workout. A partner can motivate you and make you push yourself a little harder than if you were on your own.
8) Emphasize your breathing. Breathing properly during cardio will energize your muscles and increase the quality of your workout. Same thing during weight training—breathing properly (exhaling as you lift the weight and inhaling as you release) will make your strength training more efficient and help to prevent injuries.
9) Use a heart rate monitor. I am a huge advocate of using monitors. They allow you to regulate properly the intensity of your workout, staying in your target heart-rate zone.
10) Listen to music. Music is a great motivator. It can give you that extra burst of energy you need to go a little farther or work a little harder.
KEY to losing weight is CARDIOVASCULAR EXERCISE
You should spend most of your cardio time at approx 75-80% of your Max Heart Rate*, a moderate but hard working level. You should feel like this…breathing through your mouth not your nose, jaw is dropped, you can still carry on a conversation (about 35 words in a row not a lot more), you are sweating and feeling good.
It helps to do an occasional high-intensity session. Intervals can be high-intensity bursts alternating with recovery periods. This increases your calories burned so you burn more in less time. You also challenge the heart so you slowly increases your “fat burning zone”.
And some days – your body will tell you to just take it easy and do what we call a “base building” workout at about 65% of your Max Heart Rate.
This makes your workout week more fun and variety filled ---some examples: Maybe you do one day a week as a 30 minutes based building walk. Then you do 3 days at a comfortable moderate power walk or elliptical ride. Interject 2 days of interval training – maybe you take an indoor cycle class. You'll get 200 minutes of cardio exercise in the week and still have one day off!
The parting thought still is Calories In versus Calories Out! You need to burn up calories to lose weight.
*to determine your Max Heart Rate go to www.polarusa.com to learn more about heart rate training.
Add Some Muscle to Your Routine
Did you know that starting in our thirties, we lose approximately one-half to one pound of muscle per year. Do the math and you'll see that if you aren't proactive about maintaining your muscle mass, you will be facing some pretty dim statistics. The good news is you don't have to just sit by and let your strength dwindle. If you are consistent, you can achieve noticeable results in as little as ten minutes of strength training a day!
And while lifting weights at the gym or using hand weights at home are great ways to build strength, they aren't the only way to build muscle. Using resistance bands is another great example and truthfully you don't need any equipment at all to reap strength benefits—for example, push ups, squats, and lunges use the weight of your own body to provide the necessary resistance for your body to exert against.
To build muscle and jump start your metabolism you should aim for two to three strength training sessions per week. Remember that if you are pressed for time (like we all seem to be), you don't have to do a full-body routine all at once. Doing a little strength training each day and focusing on one or two body parts at a time is not only a great way to fit strength training into your schedule, but it gives your muscles a chance to rest and rebuild in between workouts.
- As you begin adding strength training keep these points in mind:
- Always warm up before beginning your routine. Get your body temperature up and the blood flowing to prevent injury.
- Move through the routine slowly. Make your muscles do the work not the momentum and make sure you are using a full range of motion throughout the movement—not jerking or stopping halfway.
- Breathe. Don't hold your breath and exhale during the hardest part of the exercise.
- Keep your lower abdominal muscles tight to protect your back. Pay attention to those core muscles and your posture, keeping everything nice and tight to prevent injury.
Flexibility
Like aerobic endurance and muscle strength, flexibility provides anti-aging benefits.
As you age, your muscles tighten and range of motion of the joints decreases, making even your day- to- day activities feel less comfortable and less doable. A regular stretching program can help lengthen your muscles and restore youthful activity.
By implementing a stretching program in your weekly regime, you can preserve range of motion, reduce muscle soreness, promote circulation, prevent injury, make daily activities seem easier and more fun and create body awareness.
The optimal time to stretch and hold a static stretch is following your workout. Your muscles have just undergone repeated tightening and shortening from all the contractions of exercising and are still warmed up. Stretching helps relax your muscles and will improve your flexibility. Guidelines suggest holding a stretch for at least 15-30 seconds….most of us holds for about 10 seconds so try timing yourself. Never stretch to the point of pain though. Stretching feels like “ah – that feels good”. Pain feels like “ouch – that’s too much!”
Too many people think they can save time and take a shortcut by skipping the stretching. Not true! If you don’t attend to your muscles after working out, you’re looking at a stiff and sore payback tomorrow!
