Aerobic fitness
21 MINUTE AEROBIC TRAINING PROGRAM
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Aerobic fitness
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21 MINUTE AEROBIC TRAINING PROGRAM |
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WHY BOTHER BECOMING AEROBICALLY FIT? If you're not in great shape aerobically, you're probably not all that healthy either. It's as simple as that. In fact your level of aerobic fitness is probably the most important general measure of how healthy you are that there is.
You can measure how fit and healthy you are by taking the 20m run aerobic fitness test.
It's a big ask in our culture expecting to stay healthy without keeping yourself fit. It's as simple as that. The benefits of being fitter are legion. If you want to wade through the list go to benefits of aerobic fitness.
WHY 21 CONSECUTIVE DAYS? It takes 21 consecutive days for the sub conscious mind to lock on to a habit. We're either ruled by our habits, or they rule us.
If you haven't been exercising, the habit of lolling around is probably stronger than the habit of getting up and exercising.
At the end of 21 days all that will have changed, if you take up the 21 day challenge.
Of course once the 21 minute aerobic fitness training program habit is locked into your subconscious you won't have to go through the inner debate each morning about whether you're going to get up or not and go for your walk, shuffle or jog. You'll have the getting up and exercising habit locked in.
GETTING STARTED
21 MINUTE WALKING PROGRAM
At the end of 21 days you'll be able to puff your chest out with pride because you can now walk for 21 minutes.
21 MINUTE SHUFFLING PROGRAM It's now time to pick up the pace and move on to the next level of fitness. This will involve a bit more vigor. I suggest you start off with a shuffle.
A shuffle is slower than a jog. It's about as fast as a brisk walk, but it gets your heart rate up over 100 beats per minute. Ideally you want to get it up to at least 120 for there to be an appreciable improvement in your aerobic fitness, but for the next 21 days, the idea is to shuffle, maybe jog, if you're in better shape than you thought you were.
Keep increasing the shuffle component by one minute each day until you are shuffling for 21 minutes.
Why 21 minutes? - because if you do something every day for 21 consecutive days you'll have developed a habit. You'll will have overcome the battle between willpower and won't power. You will have proven to yourself that you have some resolve.
I also know that there will be some important health spin offs: you'll feel better, you'll be sleeping better, you'll have more energy and you'll have lost some fat. You'll experience the joy of being outside in the fresh air as the sun starts to wend it's way higher. You'll come back refreshed, relaxed, revitalized and reinvigorated. By starting off slow you'll avoid the problem of muscle soreness.
21 MINUTE JOGGING PROGRAM No. 3 Now that you can shuffle for 21 minutes start the program again.
By the end of 21 days you'll be a jogger.
You'll notice as you increase the jogging component your pulse rate will go up toward 130 - 140 or even higher. This is good.
THE COMPLEAT AEROBIC FITNESS TRAINING PROGRAM
Now that you can jog for 21 minutes you can start jogging for a little longer, one minute more every day.
They say that 20 minutes is good, 30 minutes is better and 40 minutes is better.
As you approach this phase of your aerobic fitness training program start to vary the length of your workouts - making 21 minutes the shortest that you do.
AERABYTES You can now start to really focus on building up the number of aerabytes you get each week. You will already have been recording the time and intensity of your workouts in the form of aerabytes so now is the time to start to build up the number of aerabytes you get each week.
To find out more about the aerobyte training system click here.
I train using the aerabyte system outlined in the Aerobic Fitness Diary - I set out each week to achieve 1000 aerabytes of aerobic physical activity. I've found it a system that works on the principle that if you look after the aerabytes your fitness will look after itself.
THE AEROBIC FITNESS RULE OF THUMB
* If you're diabetic, (type 2) have high blood pressure or are depressed we recommend you exercise twice a day. In that case, 6 sessions a week would be good, 8 better and 10 best. Too much you say? Well not if you want to fix up the body system dysfunctions that are manifest by the three symptoms listed. You can vary the sessions, some hard, some easy, some long, some the obligatory 20 minutes.
Over the next 21 days you can set yourself a target.
It makes sense to build up slowly. To work this system you need a heart rate monitor. I recommend a Polar basic model, which you can get from your local sports store for a bit more than $100.
WHY THE EMPHASIS ON WALKING, SHUFFLING AND JOGGING?
No particular reason other than it's convenient. If you don't like running, substitute it with swimming or cycling; or, if you go to a gym, use the stepper or the stationary bike. I use the stepper in the gym, principally because I find it easier on my legs than running around outside.
MEASURE YOUR PROGRESS You can measure your progress by going to 20m run.com By measuring the number of 20m laps you can do in 5 minutes you'll get a very good idea of your health and fitness. In your daily routine you can also measure your progress
DON'T FORGET THE STRENGTH TRAINING PROGRAM I know that a lot of people don't like going to a gym. If that's the case there are four key exercises that I'd recommend you do at home. There are four simple exercises you can do at home to strengthen your body.
Click here for the complete strength training program.
DON'T FORGET THE FLEXIBILITY TRAINING PROGRAM There are four simple exercises you can do to loosen your body after your walk, shuffle or jog.
If you want the complete flexibility training program go to crookback.com.au |
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