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The Fitness and Health Report
Information for a Healthy Life
January 6, 2000 - Issue 6
IN THIS ISSUE:
- Burn Off Holiday Indulgence!
- The Walking Workout
BURN OFF HOLIDAY INDULGENCE WITH AEROBIC VARIETY
By Garrett J. Braunreiter, CSCS, The Energy Coach
No doubt many of us did our share of holiday eating this last weekend.
That is why this article is devoted to getting you back on track toward
your fitness goals IMMEDIATELY.
But first, let's get back to the basics of effective aerobic conditioning.
* Move continuously
* Use large muscle groups
* Get your heart rate up
* Strengthen your heart and lungs
* Burn more calories in conjunction with your
strength-training program
* Speed the weight loss/fat loss process
However, not all aerobic activities are the same. Some programs are better
than others, especially for weight control. The general recommendation
for aerobic fitness (NOT weight loss) is 20-40 minutes of moderate activity
3-5 times a week.
If you're talking weight loss, you're looking at a different picture.
People who have lost weight - and kept it off - exercise more than that.
To burn off one pound of fat, you need to have a 3500 calorie deficit
between exercise and diet (MOST of the calories are to come from exercise)
during the course of a week. So you're looking at reducing your calories
by a little over a hundred calories a day, and the rest from exercise.
Whoa!!!
"That's a lot of calories burned from exercise, Gar. That means
I'm going to have to practically LIVE in the gym! Who has time for that?"
Effective, calorie-burning aerobic programs blend a variety of intensity
levels with a variety of activities. Not only do they burn extra calories,
but the variety helps you to stick with it.
So you're going to divide your aerobic workout into 15 minutes spent
on 3-4 different exercises for a great alternative to doing the same darn
thing on ONE machine every time you work out.
I've taken the four most popular machines and mixed and matched them
and created 45-60 minute, no-boredom-allowed, serious-calorie-burning
workouts. BUT, you'll be the creative person you are and mix and match
to come up with YOUR favorite combinations.
* How To Mix And Match *
Each time your work out you should change the kind of workout you do
with each exercise. In other words, if you are doing intervals one day,
the next day see how much distance you can cover in the same 15 minutes.
Also, start each workout with a different activity, like treadmill one
day, stair stepper the next.
Choose 3 activities and intensities for a great 45-minute workout, or
do all four for a real calorie-busting aerobic session.
* Activities *
1. Stair stepper (or climbing your own stairs)
2. Treadmill
3. Recumbent/Upright Stationary Bike
4. Elliptical Trainer (or X-Country Skier)
* Intensity Types *
1. Up and Down the Ladder
Do a moderate pace for 1 minute, then 15 seconds hard/15 seconds moderate.
Increase each hard segment by 15 seconds with 15 seconds of moderate in
between until you are working hard for 60 seconds. Then start working
your way back down until you're back at 15 seconds of hard work. Go up-and-
down 3 times total.
2. Intervals
You can either walk at different speeds or combine walking with running.
Enter a 15 minute manual program on your treadmill's display panel. You're
going to walk easy for 1 minute, then fast walk/run for 1 minute, and
alternate for the whole 15 minutes.
3. Same Pace
This intensity emphasizes endurance. Warm up first, then during the workout,
keep your pace CONSTANT, even when you're climbing hills, elevating inclines,
or increasing resistance levels. If you have the capability on your machine,
program a 15-minute "Hill" workout. The point here is to never
break your pace.
4. More Distance, Same Time
If you can, program a 15-minute manual workout on the machine set at a
moderate to low-intensity level - one that you can stay at for the majority
of the 15 minutes. How much distance did you walk/run, bike, or climb?
Record the miles you ran/walked/biked and the stairs you climbed for each
workout. Check back on your notes to see how much you're improving for
each activity.
* Sample Combos *
*Day One
1. Treadmill - Up And Down The Ladder
2. Bike - Interval
3. Elliptical Trainer - Same Pace
4. Stair Stepper - More Distance, Same Time
*Day Two
1. Stair Stepper - Interval
2. Treadmill - More Distance, Same Time
3. Bike - Same Pace
4. Elliptical - Up And Down The Ladder
Again, use your creativity to come up with your own combinations to design
your calorie-blasting workout.
Intense workouts like these should be limited to 3 times a week, supplemented
with your normal aerobic activity on the other days. DON'T FORGET ABOUT
METABOLISM-BOOSTING STRENGTH TRAINING!
Just to give you some numbers, you could burn over 2500 calories a week
just from exercise alone, and, when combined with reducing your calorie
intake by about 800 calories a week, that's a PERMANENT weight loss of
1 lb. a week.
(This workout not only will get you back on track this week, but it will
also SAVE you from this New Year's week.)
The Walking Workout
Recent research results could hardly be clearer: Taking a walk is one
of the best ways to take charge of your health. A study in the Journal
of the American Medical Association (February 11, 1998) showed that walking
briskly for half an hour just six times a month cut the risk of premature
death in men and women by 44 percent. A study in the New England Journal
of Medicine (January 8, 1997) reported that men 61 to 81 years old sharply
reduced their risk of death from all causes, including cancer and heart
disease, by walking two miles a day. Other research has shown similar
results for women.
Besides the well-documented health benefits, the beauty of walking is
you can go at your own pace. If you are new to exercise or recovering
from injury or childbirth, you can aim to walk for 20 to 45 minutes four
or five days a week at the good fitness walking speed of three miles an
hour. When (and if) you want to power up, you can take longer walks and
work up to walking each mile in 15 minutes or less.
Once you're ready to hit the road (or the trail, track, treadmill or
mall), how do you make the most of your walking workout? Minneapolis,
Minnesota, walking instructor Kate Larsen, who has developed the LifeWalkTM
Easy Audio Coach tape (888-LIF-WALK), offers these 10 practical tips for
getting maximum aerobic, strength, postural and conditioning benefits
from your walking program:
1. Warm Up First, Then Stretch. Start by walking for just seven to 10
minutes (wear a watch) and then do a few gentle stretches. Your muscles
will stretch better if you've warmed them up first. Ask a fitness professional
which stretches are best for you.
2. Take Short, Quick Steps. By taking short, quick steps, rather than
long strides, you will work your glute muscles (in your buttocks) as you
log miles.
3. Practice the Heel-Toe Roll. Push off from your heel, roll through
the outside of the foot, then push through the big toe. Think of the big
toe as the Ago button and push off with propulsion. Keep the other toes
relaxed. (This takes practice.)
4. Squeeze Your Glutes. Imagine squeezing and lifting your glutes up
and back, as if you were holding a $50 bill between them! This will strengthen
your low-back muscles. Developing the ability to maintain this deep contraction
throughout your walk will take a while.
5. Zip Up Your Abs. During your walk, imagine you're zipping up a tight
pair of jeans. Stand tall and pull your abdominal muscles up and in. You
can practice this even when you're not walking.
6. Pump Your Arms. Imagine you are holding the rubber grips of ski poles
in your hands. Stand straight, drop your shoulders, squeeze your shoulder
blades behind you and push back your elbows with each step. Keep your
arm movements smooth and strong.
7. Keep Your Chest Up, Shoulders Back. Use your walk as an opportunity
to practice perfect posture. Imagine someone dumped ice down your back.
That's the feeling you want to have as you hold your chest up and shoulders
back.
8. Keep Your Head Up. Look about 10 feet ahead of you. Imagine you're
wearing a baseball cap and have to look up just enough to see the road.
This keeps your neck aligned properly.
9. Smile and Have Fun. Learning these techniques takes time and concentration.
Be patient and enjoy your workout. Dress comfortably, find a partner or
wear a headset and listen to music you love and, if you're walking outdoors,
vary your route.
10. Practice Mental Fitness. Don't replay the problems of the day while
you walk. Try to maintain a state of relaxed awareness by paying attention
to your breathing and noticing how your body feels. Visualize yourself
getting healthier, stronger and leaner.
A Habit You Can Live With
Consistency is probably the most important part of your walking workout.
The more committed you are to walking all or most days of the week, the
healthier you'll be. Remember that short walks are better then none at
all. As Larsen says, Health, like life, is a journey. All you have to
do is take the first step.
Reproduced with permission of IDEA, The Health and Fitness Source, (800)
999-IDEA or (619) 535-8979. Thank you for your interest in IDEA and please
do not hesitate to call if you have any questions.
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