Now that you've decided to change your life, wether to lose weight, get a
leaner physique or to be healthier, aerobic exercise is a must when it comes to
reaching those goals. Wether you are a novice or a competitive athlete you need
to know how to train. This is why I have compiled a few short tips on how to
get you started.
Stretching is something we usualy
start with. DON'T DO IT RIGHT AWAY! Stretching a cold muscle is like stretching a rubber
band. If the rubber is cold it will stretch only a little and then snap, but if
you preheat it in your hands, then it can stretch a bit more. The same goes for
muscles. Stretching a cold muscle is like begging for an injury!
Instead do a light warmup on the stationary bicycle (just a sugegstion) for
5 to 10 minutes before stretching, and don't forget to do a light cooldown and stretch
your muscles after the workout to minimize muscle soreness and to prevent
muscle injury.
Frequency and duration are an issue for most
people. Every time we go to see our doctors they instruct us to be active for 3
– 5 times per week for 30 minutes and that will help us to lose weight. In my
26 years, this is the only advice that I got from doctors regarding disease
pervention. Don't get me wrong, being a doctor is a fine profession, but they
don't know a lot about pervention.
Being active 30 minutes for 3 – 5 times per week is a good start and will
definitly get you some results, but it will take you a very long time to lose
weight or get lean. You need to know what your goals are. In my experience it
is best to exercise (and not just to be active) 5 – 6 times per week for AT
LEAST 20 minutes if you want to lose body fat (45 minutes or more is best).
Keep in mind that the seventh day is not ment for you to just relax on your
couch. Be active, play with your kids, take the dog out for a walk or join a
hiking group. You also need to be mindful, that you aren't creating too much of
a calorie deficit. If you are preparing for a marathon then you need to eat as
many calories as you burn, so that you you have enough energy to continue
training.
Intensity is key! I always tell
my clients that if they ca neven think of reading a magazine, while training on
the eliptical or any other cardio machine, then they aren't working hard
enough. You have two options to monitor this. You can monitor your hear rate
with a heart rate monitor so that it is in the targeted zone of 60 – 85% of
your maximum heart rate (low intensity > 60 – 70%, moderate intensity >
70 – 80%, high intensity > 80 – 85%).
Another way is to do the talk test. Your workout should be so intense that
you can breathe deeply and that you can still finish one sentence. If you can't
even talk, then you are training too hard and if you can talk normaly then you
aren't working out at all.
Switching up your
routine is extremly important. If you train for a longer period of time then your
body will adapt to the exercise. This will result in a lower calorie
expenditure andd a slower fat loss. The rule of thumb is to shake up your
routine every 1 or 2 weeks. So let's say that you started jogging and after 2
weeks of that you take up cycling. 2 weeks into that you can do the eliptical,
swimming, rowing machine, walking… Whatever you like.
Again, let me warn you, that if you are training for a marathon or another
sport, you need to follow the program that your personal trainer told you to
do.
Drink plenty of water so that
you dont dehydrate. A well hydrated body can do a lot more than a dehydrated
one. If your sweeat doesn't taste salty then you can always drink something
with electrolytes in it like coconut water. Just be sure to avoid sports drinks
that are loaded with artificial colors, sweetners and sugars (those things are
usualy loadded with sugar).
If you are someone who is just starting to get into this whole regime of exercise,
the safest wayy for you to do so is to just walk. A lot.
Until next time, stay strong and be kind.
Picture taken from: http://tiny.cc/s291hw
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