Here are a few tips if you are implementing an exercise program into your life or if you have already been at it for a while:
1.) Ease into things: If you have not trained in a while, make sure to ease your way into it, especially the older you get (because as we age our growth hormone levels lower, which impairs our ability to recover as fast). A great example is my father. He will lay off of exercise and running for a year or two, then go out to the track thinking he is in world class condition like Usain Bolt! He will go out and try to run 2 400's, 2 300's, 2 200's, and 2 100's on the first day. This is why he came back the last time with a torn hamstring which was black and blue from his knee to his glute up the back of his leg. Ease into it for better results later in your program. Build a great, solid base and you will thank yourself later.
2.) Make sure that your program is well balanced with all of these things: Diet, Cardiovascular Training, Strength Training, Flexibility Training, and Education.
3.) Diet: this is the most important aspect of your regime. you get out of your body what you put into it. I know people who cycle 150 miles per week, weight train, run and swim several miles per week and are still obese. They wonder why, and the first thing I always ask people is, "what is your diet like?". Then they smirk, roll their eyes and before they say anything I know they eat whatever they want whenever they want it. This will simply not work. Diet alone can change someone's body composition tremendously even without exercise. Don't take that the wrong way, i firmly believe in exercise but am trying to explain how important diet is! Eat right--lean and clean always! No excuses, such as, "I am always eating out". There are always alternatives and things you can eat that are great for you while at restaurants: fish, vegetables, lean meats, etc. Eat well always and reap the benefits, both in body and mind. Nourish your, body, your brain, and all functions of the body by ingesting the RIGHT things! Yesterday, i saw a young girl I know who has hypothyroidism, standing by a cotton candy station at an all sports fair. She ate some until it was gone, then put more on her stick and slammed it. Her mom said nothing to her! OOOOOOhhhhhhh, that heats me up, but, i threw in my two cents and told her how bad it was for her. The cotton candy man didn't think that was a good comment to throw out amongst all the other kids too, so I had to explain myself to him.
4.) Cardiovascular Training: the heart is the most important and underlying muscle in the body that supplies the rest of the body's musculature, organs, etc., with blood, fuel, and much, much more. We need a healthy blend of working both energy systems and its corresponding musculature. This can be achieved by incorporating 1-2 days per week of continuous, aerobic training, holding a nice consistent pace on cardio of your choice (60-80% of heart rate max). Second, we need a good 1-2 days of tempo work, where you hold that nice consistent pace, but increase your intensity every so often to increase your heart rate, then return to the consistent pace, then repeat. The last 1-2 days should be spent at a higher heart rate for a certain duration of time (80-90% of heart rate max), or you can sprint several times until you achieve and reach your heart rate max. Doing all of these things will ensure you are burning a healthy blend of protein, fats, and carbohydrates for fuel.
5.) Strength Training: will help to increase your metabolism not only during training, but throughout the day as well. Strength training helps us to get stronger and sculpt our bodies. It also has several other benefits: injury prevention, bone density, strengthening the tendons, joints, ligaments and overall musculature of the body, etc. Core work/Core Training is also included in this and is also one of the most important aspects of your strength training. Every movement in your body is initiated from your spine and its surrounding musculature (CORE), which is why it's so very important to train the CORE in its entirety.
6.) Flexibility Training: for health, vitality, and longevity. This will help you to recover from the others demands that you place upon your body. It will limit the chance for injury, and, the longer your muscles are, the more force they can generate. I call this the rubber band principle: the more you stretch out a rubber band, the more force it will generate, which is the same as your musculature. There is also a core element to the flexibility training when doing yoga and pilates. Dynamic Flexibility (flexibility in motion) can be done before exercise or moving, or simply as another form of flexibility work for variation.
7.) Education: educate yourself on all of the previous things so that you too can make informed decisions at they relate to your health, wellness, and fitness goals. Education is empowerment.
8.) Variation: vary what you do within each of these components. From changing what you eat, to changing strength training routines, this will help ensure that you do not hit plateaus (sticking points in your progress), and will also help to cut down on boredom since you will always be changing it up and doing something new and exciting.
9.) It's not a bad idea to hire someone to help you with this: hire someone to give you a little help with all of these components. Let a health and fitness professional guide you in you journey, lending a helpful ear and a helpful hand in what you are doing, making sure you are doing things safe and the right way. We can provide internet coaching, 1 on 1 training, group training, program design and implementation (where we design a program specifically for you and implement this program with you, making sure you understand each and every aspect of it. Even if you hire someone for 1 hour per week or month, it will help you in all of your health and fitness endeavors.
Give me a call, shoot me a message here, or email me for help with any and all of the above.
504 451 5391
bquick@bquickfitness.com
bquick@bquickfitness.com
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment