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Lance W. Keene, NASM-CPT, BodyBugg-Practitioner, Apex Fitness-Fitness ProfessionalArchive for Five Factors Of Fitness
Keep truckin’ towards those goals!!!!
keeping Visual images around can be powerful tool in helping you reach your goals. There are a lot of creative ways to use this motivational technique, such as posting an image of your goal where you’ll see it most, in your car visor, on a bathroom mirror, or on the refrigerator, hanging your new favorite outfit in-front of your face when going in to your closet. Visual images can also help you reach your fat loss goals. Create a chart to measure your success, display before and after pictures, or get a brochure of the vacation destination you’ll visit after you reach your goal. These are all good ways to constantly remind yourself of the commitment you’ve made.
Start with a Long-Term Goal. Picture the feeling you will have, how your life will be different, what you would be able to do differently. Think of the strategy you’ll use and who can help you. This is your blueprint. Before you do anything else, write that goal down. Memory studies indicate that the brain forgets 80% of detail within 24 hours and 99% within two weeks. Writing it down keeps the goal fresh and clear in your mind.
Next, create a timeline. This begins with a target date, which you’ve probably already set. Now you have Point A and Point B; what are the steps along the way that’ll take you from one to the other? Think of a series of Medium-Term Milestones you can use to keep momentum high and the path straight. Milestones can also be achievements that have nothing to do with the scale. Maybe sign up for a bootcamp that you wouldn’t have been able to do last year.
Finally, plan out the Short-Term Actions that will get you to your first Milestones. These are your daily and weekly nutrition and fitness goals. This is how doing just a little bit every day can help you reach even your biggest goal. By doing these Actions, you stay on track and a permanent, healthier lifestyle is just a matter of time.
Realistic: Start off with a goal that isn’t too ambitious, so you can sooner experience the thrills of success. Build toward grander goals to keep your motivation high.
Specific: Make sure it can be measured and tracked.
Clear Thought: Find a photo depicting or symbolizing what you want. The clearer the point of the whole thing is, the easier it is to stay focused.
Valuable: Remind yourself why you want to succeed in the first place.
Timely: What do you wish for? This is the goal that will hold your attention the most. There’s no reason our wishes can’t become our goals.
Reward: Every little bit of positive reinforcement helps.
How To Manage Your Cardio Programs’ Intensity Levels
What rate of perceived exertion (RPE) means.
The rate of perceived exertion is used to gauge your intensity in cardio workouts. Here are some distinct levels. Typically after RPE 6-7 you cross your anaerobic threshold and this is when your body stops using your body fat as it’s primary source of energy.
RPE 1-2: very easy; you can converse with no effort.
RPE 3: Easy; you can converse with almost no effort.
RPE 4: Moderatly easy; you can converse comfortably with little effort.
RPE 5: Moderate; conversation requires some effort.
RPE 6: Moderatly hard; conversation requires quit a bit of effort.
RPE 7: Difficult; conversation requires a lot of effort.
RPE 8: Very difficult; conversation requires maximum effort.
RPE 9-10: Peak effort; no-talking zone.
For your reference when reading www.shape.com or Shape Magazine.
The Importance of Water (Part Duex): Water and Performance
I can not begin to explain or stress enough how important proper hydration is!!!! The hum,an body can not adapt to dehydration, which impairs every physiological function. Studies show that fluid loss of even two percent of the body weight will adversely affect circulatory functions and decrease your performance levels, regardless if your a pro athlete or a new exerciser!!!
Some Effects of Dehydration:
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Decreased blood volume
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Decreased performance
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Decreased blood pressure
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Decreased sweat rate
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Increased core temperature
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Water Retention
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Increased heart rate
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Sodium retention
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Decreased cardiac output
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Decreased blood flow to skin
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Increased percieved exertion
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Increased use of muscle glycogen
Now if you have a regular daily pattern of exercise and water and food consumption that is followed;-), average body weight will provide a very good index of the body’s state of hydration. For example in ultra distance races knowing this information about the body the organizers of these races make it mandatory for competitors to weigh themselves at stations along the course and require each runner to consume enough fluid to regain a predetermined body weight before being allowed to continue.
Thirst alone is a poor indicator that you need water. Atletes consistantly consume inadequate fliud, managing to replace fifty percent sweat losses. A good way to keep track of how much one needs to drink is to first determine his or her avaerage daily weight. Use this number as your normal hydration weight, ie your walking around weight. I would not recomend a practice or competition until you weigh close to or exactly your walking weight. Continue to drink water, juice, or a sports drink during exercise to maintain your starting weight.
Guidelines for fluid replacement are as follows:
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Drink 16 oz of fluid every two hours prior to exercise. An additional eight to 16 oz may be in need in warmer climates.
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Drink 20-40 oz of fluid for every hour of exercise.
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Fluids should be cold, due to more rapid gastric emptying.
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If exercise exceeds 60 min, use of a sports drink (containing up to eight percent carbohydrate) can replace both fluid and dwindling muscle-glycogen stores.
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Exercising for less than 60 min, water is the choice of “the experts” for fluid replacement.
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The goal is always to replace sweat and urine losses.
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Drink 20 oz of fluid for every pound of body weight lost after an exercise bout, especially if rapid rehydration is necessary. As in twice a day training.
Water is our life source, our bodies are over 60 percent!!! H2O is important!!! Drink up people!!!!
Water (part one)
The Importance of Water
Water is approximately 60 percent of our body by weight. Whereas deficiencies of nutrients such as the macronutients, vitamins and minerals may take weeks or even years to develop, a human can only survive a couple days without water!!! So lets drink up everyone:-)
Consuming an adequate amount of water will benefit you in the following ways:
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Endocrine-gland function improves
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Fluid retention is reduced
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Liver functions improve, increasing the use of fat for energy
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Natural Thirst returns
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Appetite decreases significantly
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Metabolic functions improve
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Body-Temperature regulation improves
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Blood volume is maintained
On average, an individual should drink about 96 ounces of H2O per day. Those trying to lose weight should be drinking an additional 8 ounces of H2O per 25 pounds above ideal weight. Also note that if you live in a hotter than normal climate you must increase your water intake as well. Read the rest of this entry »
Using the F.I.T.T. Principle to Manage Your Cardio Program
The FITT principle gives you four factors to adjust your cardio. You always want to adjust your cardio program so your body does not get use to it. Remember when you first hopped on that treadmill and it kicked your bottom…after only 5 min:-) and now you can do it for over 45? That is called adaptation, your body figured out what you were doing and has learned how to use less energy to get through it. It is human nature to take the path of least resistance, if you only keep adding time to your cardio program to keep it challenging, there will be a day you have to do cardio for over two hours and if you are not an endurance athlete there is no reason to be doing that much cardio. If your goal is fat lose or increase your true cardio ability then lets look at how to manage it with the FITT principle.
Frequency-Lets change up the days, i.e. Lets say your doing your cardio mon-fri right now. Lets move it to doing cardio for two days and taking a day off. You might do your cardio before doing your workout, switch it up for a week or so and do it after.
Intensity-Yes it is ok to make your cardio harder. Always be mindful of your heart rate when increasing your intensity. Increase your intensity by increasing the incline, speed. Most people avoid this cause again it makes it hard and again the path of least resistance is easier to take. Make your workouts as efficient as possible. Try doing intervals with your cardio, they are always helpful for a fun workout;-)
Type-This is my favorite….people it is ok to do different pieces of cardio you do not always have to do the same thing!!! Fitness is about changing it up and keeping the body guessing. A note on this, if you need to do 20/30/60 min of cardio you do 20/30/60 min on the same piece for the whole time. I know some people like to change their form of cardio a couple times to break up the boredom of doing the same thing for however long, but to get all you can from your cardio you want all the muscles that begin moving to keep moving for the whole time limit. By switching forms of cardio your giving the body a chance to catch up and recover. So if you think you did 60 min of cardio split between 30 bike and 30 treadmill, you actually did two 30 min cardio sessions for a total of 60 min. So people…if your trainer or workout plan calls for x amount of cardio x amount is meant to be performed on one machine. You change the type for the session, one type per session.
Time-The easiest to adjust and the most misused of all four principles. Time can be adjusted many ways, it does not always mean do more. Something to start with, alternate your cardio with a short intense day followed by a long distance steady day. More is not always better.
Another keene way to work smarter…not just harder!
Five Factors to Achieving the Ideal You:
Factor #5 Professional Assistant:
If you have never worked out before or if it has been awhile since you have seen the inside of a gym, it would be wise to get some instruction to ensure what you are doing not only is in line with your physical goals but the workouts you are performing (the movements), you are doing correctly as to avoid injury. Think of the gym as if it were a new town or a foreign country, you wouldn’t just go for it, it is navigated more easily when you get directions. In regards to your body, if you have ever gone from physically fit to out of shape and viceversa, I would suggest getting some kind of road map (Introducing the wonderful world of personal Trainers). Just because you may have played sports in high-school or as a kid, does not mean you know HOW to exercise or work with your CURRENT body type.
To find the right trainer for you….To Be Continued…
Five Factors to Achieving an Ideal You:
Factor #4 Proper Supplementation:
When you begin exercising, it is imperative that you are making sure your body is getting the vitamins and minerals it needs to run efficiently. Specifically taking a good multivitamin and antioxidant. One important thing to pay attention to is making sure you are taking the same brand of supplements. Reason for this is by using one brand of multivitamin and another for your antioxidant, you could accidentally put a toxic amount of certain vitamins or minerals in your body. (Please reference the RDA (Recommended Daily Allowance) at www.time-to-run.com/nutrition/rda.htm for any questions) ALWAYS research the product you are about to take BEFORE you put into your body. There are some companies that use pharmaceutical manufacturers to produce their products. When doing this, it helps to ensure the purity, potency, efficacy of the product. I would suggest to look for products that are made with GMP’s. G-Good, M=Manufacturing, P=Practices. Two companies to consider are www.apexfitness.com and www.greatearth.com . Please do your research! You only get ONE body, be good to it.
Factor #5 To Be Continued…
Five Factors to Achieving the Ideal You:
Factor #3 Cardio, More is not necessarily Better.
When starting a cardio program it is always in good judgement to use moderation. When performing the same movement with the same intensity day after day, your muscles and body remember the movement, master the task, and gradually will loose their effectiveness in burning calories. CHANGE is key in cardio. One way to manage your cardio program is to use the F.I.T.T. principal. This acronym stands for Frequency, Intensity, Type and Time. When adjusting your routine in this order, you can be assured that your cardio routine will not hit a plateau. A key reminder is to always adjust the length or time of your routine LAST. In changing up your routine it not only helps to keep your muscles “on their toes” but helps to keep you from becoming board with your new found Health Regimen.
Factor #4 To Be Continued…
Five Factors to Achieving the Ideal You:
Factor # 2 Are you healthy enough to begin exercising?
If you have ever had any health problems, never exercised in your life, if you have had any injuries, surgeries, take any medication, have never played sports or worked out and frankly are just not the most “active” person, you MUST consult a physician before starting any exercise regimen, nutrition or supplement program. Honestly now, if you truly are a desk jockey and you are not familiar with the detailed workings of your body, you need to begin your exercise plans with a visit to your physician’s office. Obtaining a physical is an extremely important step in moving toward your Fitness goal.
Factor #3 To Be Continued…
Five Factors Of Achieving the Ideal You:
Factor #1 Proper Food Intake:
Honestly people, let’s cut to the chase on this one. It does not matter if your goal is to loose body fat, gain muscle, or stay the same. If you do not know how many calories you are eating per day, don’t complain if you do not achieve your desired goal. Your body is a machine, it requires energy, and you NEED to know what you require. Seek a qualified professional or visit www.bodybugg.com to assist you in reaching your goal. Your body operates under the first law of Thermodynamics.
Factor #2 To Be Continued…
Q: Thinking about starting to exercise for the first time?
A: First thing to consider, finding the right shoes for the type of exercise you are choosing to participate in. Typically all running shoes are excellent for all types of training. To properly ensure you are buying the correct shoe for your foot and body visit www.roadrunnersports.com (if available in your area, or visit roadrunnersports.com). If they are not available in your area, ask us and we will find an alternative shoe store for you.
