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The Fitness and Health Report
Information for a Healthy Life
May 8, Issue 10
IN THIS ISSUE:
- Take Your Treadmill Workout to the Max
- Great Fitness Tips
- Dr. Koop.com Health Tools
Take Your Treadmill Workout to the Max
By Therese Iknoian, M.S.
So you've taken the plunge and invested in a treadmill. Perhaps you've
even worked out on it a few times, walking or running for your 20, 30,
or even 40 minutes.
Is that all there is?
Heck, no! You just have to learn to use the treadmill controls for incline
and speed more effectively for two reasons:
1. To get a better workout. A "better workout" could mean using
more muscle, upping the aerobic intensity, or burning more calories, depending
on your goals.
2. To help the time go more quickly. Even if you love to walk or run,
trodding along mile-after-mile at the same speed with nothing to look
at except the four walls can get a little tedious.
Wait, I forgot the third reason . . . to make your treadmill workout
more fun!
Whether you're a walker or a runner, a novice or advanced exerciser,
let's take a look at a few ways you can toy with the treadmill to get
more bang for your buck.
First, think of your workout in four parts:
* Warm-up - Take the first 5-10 minutes to let your body move at an
easy pace, slowly picking up the pace toward the end to a moderate pace.
* Workout - This is where you do your hill-climbing, speed intervals,
or faster-paced walking or running.
* Cool-down - Use the last 5 minutes to return to an easy pace to let
your heart rate return to its normal, lower state and to let your muscles
relax.
* Stretch - Finish up with a stretch of your muscles to make sure they'll
be ready to go next time.
The second part, or the Workout, is where you want to start playing with
the controls for speed or incline (note that some treadmills call incline
"grade" or "elevation").
Here are some tips for using speed:
* Start moderately. Try walking or running for 1-3 minutes anywhere
from .5 to 1 mph faster than your normal pace. Then return to a comfortable
pace for 1-3 minutes. Runners, as you become more confident with your
speed ability or you learn your limits, you'll be able to play with intervals
that are up to 2-3 mph faster than your comfortable steady pace. Walkers,
you'll be able to refine your technique to walk the intervals at the fastest
pace you can walk without running.
* Rest is important. That means you are not being wimpy to slow waaaay
down between faster spurts. You must do that to allow your heart rate
to recover so you'll be ready to work hard on your next intervals. Your
heart should drop at least 10-20 beats before you begin the next intervals.)
* Really sprinting means longer rests. The shorter and faster your intervals,
the longer the rests. For example, if you sprint all-out for 1 minute,
you may want to go easy for 3 minutes.
Here are some tips for using incline:
* Start low. For novices, anything over about a 6-7 percent hill will
start to feel like real climbing and will mean you must lower your speed
to get up the hill safely and without shooting your intensity too high
or ruining your technique.
* Try short hills. To get a good feel for what you can handle, try hills
that are about 2-3 minutes long, then lower the incline back down to 0-1
percent for 2-3 minutes to recover.
* 12-15 percent is hard. No matter how advanced you are, anything 12
percent or over will be quite hard. You will have to slow your pace by
1-2 mph to get up the hill with good technique. Runners may prefer to
hike. Walkers may prefer to jog.
One last tip: No matter what you do, don't let your technique fall apart.
If you have to lean over to keep going, if you have to hang on to the
rails to keep up with the belt, or if you drift toward the rear of the
belt, slow down or lower the incline.
Now go and play with your treadmill to take your workout to the max.
Therese Iknoian, M.S., is founder of Total Fitness Network.com (http://www.totalfitnessnetwork.com),
and the author of several books, tapes and programs about walking and
running. Her latest is the instructional audiotape, "Maximum Treadmill
Workout" (Dynamix, 2000). Purchase at http://www.totalfitnessnetwork.com/.
Fitness Tips
From FitnessLink
* Arnold Schwarzenneger would change his exercise program every 3-6 months
in order to force his body into new growth. Muscles adapt and need new
movements to continue growing. Exploring a range of different exercises
gives you a better idea as to which exercises work best for you. You'll
gain a better understanding of your body and how to achieve your best
possible results.
* Set your treadmill at a 10% incline to burn 40% more calories during
your workout.
* For years, golfers have shied away from weight lifting for fear that
added bulk would impair their flexibility and speed. But a recent study
has shown that golfers who weight trained for two months actually increased
their club head speed by 5 miles an hour.
* If your muscles are sore the day after strenuous exercise, the best
remedy is to work those same muscles again, but with less intensity. Warm
up the muscles with light exercise, then stretch and take a warm shower.
* When muscles are sore and stiff from exercise, a warm soak in the tub
and a pain killer may be all you need. But for more significant injuries,
stay away from heat and follow the RICE (rest, ice, compression, elevation)
formula. Using an ice pack or ice wrapped in a wet towel, compress the
area by securing the ice with an Ace bandage. Then elevate and rest the
sore spot. Swelling should go down noticeably in 24 to 48 hours.
* To strengthen the underlying muscles of the foot, place your bare foot
flat on the floor and on the edge of a towel. Use your toes to grab and
pull the towel, curling the toes under as you pull the towel towards you.
This is a terrific exercise for runners, or any athlete whose feet withstand
a lot of punishment.
* If you have a cold, or you feel one coming on, it won't hurt to exercise.
As long as your symptoms are "above the neck," keep exercising
- but at a less intense level. However, if your symptoms move "below
the neck" (cough, fever), it's best to rest until you're feeling
up to par.
* Hold your stretch. It takes time to safely lengthen muscle tissue.
Hold your stretches at least 30 seconds - and up to a minute with a particularly
tight muscle or problem area. It's not surprising that you burn more calories
when you walk uphill than on level ground. But walking downhill also uses
significantly more energy than walking on flat terrain.
* Playing just one sport or performing only one type of exercise is likely
to strengthen certain muscles at the expense of others, leaving some tendons
and ligaments weak and vulnerable. Vary your activities to prevent muscle
imbalance and injury.
* One out of every four sports injuries involves the knee. Sudden change
of intensity in your workout, working out with worn or ill-fitting shoes,
and weak quadriceps muscles all contribute to knee injuries. Cycling and
stairclimbing are excellent ways to strengthen the quads.
* A sedentary lifestyle (being a couch potato) is twice as likely to
kill you as a high cholesterol level.
* Individuals who exercise regularly are less likely to develop heart
disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol levels, osteoporosis,
and certain forms of cancer.
* Exercise makes you smart, too! In a recent study, people who exercised
regularly consistently outscored a sedentary group in tests of mental
abilities.
* Working out puts women in a better mood, say researchers at Concordia
University, Montreal. Over six weeks, 85 women completed mood surveys
before and after exercise. Working out put them in better humor. The research
suggests that the best, most naturalistic cure for depression is to get
active!
* Women who walk at least three hours a week have a 40% lower risk of
heart attack and stroke than sedentary women.
* Fatigue, weakness, listlessness, sore muscles, slow recovery, jitters,
muscle cramps, indigestion, poor complexion, constipation, even the blues
can be the result of lack of fluid intake. And thirst is a poor indicator
of the body's need for water. A general rule of thumb: Drink twice as
much water as it takes to quench your thirst.
The fitness tips were provided by Fitnesslink.com (http://www.fitnesslink.com/),
a valuable resource for exercise and health.
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