Category: Weight Loss Exercise

An eight week fitness plan would be great right now.

Well Spring is here in Calgary and the weather is getting better by the day so I thought it would be a nice day to give a little primer on how to start getting ready for Summer fun, fitness and other activities.

We are all used to seeing runners on the streets in Spring and maybe this will be the year that you join them. The nice thing about running is that all you need is a pair of shoes.

No Gym, membership, no equipment (except maybe an ipod) and just some roads or pathways.

Starting a Fitness Plan

Eight Week Fitness Plan

OK, so let’s say you are now in crappy shape, then you will truly need an eight week fitness plan.

There is a light at the end of the next few weeks and we should all be aware that you can get out there and improve your fitness in just a few weeks if you plan it properly.

The first step is to plan what you want over the next eight weeks. there is a sample slimming plan at bodybuilding.com but I would like to just look at an eight week fitness plan of better cardio instead that will make you feel better in the shorter term.

I found this 8 Week Program from Runners World

• Week 1: Run one min, walk 90 seconds. Repeat eight times. Do three times a week.
• Week 2: Run two mins, walk one min. Repeat seven times. Do three times a week.
• Week 3: Run three mins walk one mins. Repeat six times. Do three times a week.
• Week 4: Run five mins, walk two mins. Repeat four times. Do three times a week.
• Week 5: Run eight mins, walk two mins. Repeat three times. Do three times a week.
• Week 6: Run 12 mins, walk one min. Repeat three times. Do three times a week.
• Week 7: Run 15 mins, walk one min, Run fifteen mins. Do three times a week
• Week 8: Run 30 mins continuously.

In the past I have always pushed myself too hard and this is something that you should be very aware of.

Our brains are hard wired to think that our bodies are hardier than they really are. In starting this running schedule you should be aware of your bodies limitations and healing needs.

Try to stretch really well after you are warmed up or after your workout and then make sure that a few hours after your workout that you slowly stretch to try and get rid of that lactic acid buildup and loosen up you recovering muscles.

Working Up The Fitness Plan Pace

As you get your endurance and body in shape you can definitely pick up the pace here.

I believe that it is not to much to run 6 days a week instead of the three that are mentioned here. Your body will be strong enough after the eight weeks, if not sooner and then you will be able to pick up the endurance and mileage really quickly.

Consecutive days are really important. Every day you will be stronger until it is time for a rest day and then after the rest day you will not be quite as strong as you were the day that you stopped I find.

It is critical though that you work a rest day or two into the week though as your body needs time to recover from these pounding workouts.

I never run often myself because my knees seem to go after just a few weeks, not sure if this is caused by pushing to hard to fast or if it just from bad knees in the first place.

Spring Fitness Plan With No Running

I try to make sure that my favored method of exercise, biking is always recommended as well. Here is a plan for that.

All you have to do is follow the above plan by thinking about the intensity that you are riding. Casual riding can be thought of as 10% of your max and riding hard uphill could be thought of as 100% intensity.

Always be aware of your intensity for a biking training session and also look at how the different gearing as well as road / path / dirt conditions will affect your ride.

After this eight week fitness plan you will feel like you are indeed in great shape and will then probably want to get started with some more sports or activities.

Start today and by the end of June you will be good for anything that summer throws at you.

Related posts:

Spring Into Fitness Week – Day 1 Successful Fitness Plan – Does Your Fitness Program Have Them? Spring Into Fitness Week – Day 3 Spring Into Fitness Week – Day 4

I have been seeing a lot of ads and seeing people around me joining short term fitness bootcamps.

The fitness bootcamp idea is generally 5 weeks, 2 to 3 times a week workouts with a trainer in a small group for a couple of hours a session. A couple of nights ago Desperate Housewives (the TV show) brought a fitness boot camp to TV.

What Are Fitness Bootcamps?

Have you tried these group workouts out? The idea is great. You learn a lot of new exercises so that your workouts are not as stale and boring and you have this very immediate feedback loop as to whether the workouts are working or not.

In practice though sometimes I wonder whether the fitness bootcamp is a great new idea or just a fad that will go the way of strippercize. After watching them continue on the last few Springs though it seems to be a workout with some staying power.

Here are the plusses of fitness boot camps. You learn how hard you can push yourself, you get a really good idea of what you are missing from your current workout schedule (from muscle pain the next day), and you get to potentially meet future workout partners.

The real problem with the fitness boot camp concept is the same as any other workout plan. There is no force to continue after you are done.

We all know that is good for us and we all know that we need to continue to workout but after a very intense few weeks it is really easy to just walk away and look at he boot camp as being just another experience in exercise.

How Are Fitness Bootcamps Structured?

There is a better way. I just watched someone go through a five week fitness bootcamp and she found it really tough.

It is hard for most people to find a couple of hours a night to workout so the best thing to do is find 30 minutes or so every night or most days during the week anyway and workout in those times following parts of your bootcamp workout.

Do weights one day, running or cardio the next and work through this schedule. Purposely mix up your workouts to keep them fun and add or subtract what you did not like about the bootcamp but not the intensity.

There are several thinigs you can change, the music, what you ate before and after, the breaks (still keep them short) and even the partners. Maybe you can get together with the same people in the morning or evening.

If you can mix up your workouts and have a few buddies to workout with then you have a much better chance to continue.

This spring I am sure the biggest story in fitness will be fitness bootcamps. Shop around and see what trainers are doing for bootcamps and what the schedules are.

I am sure some of these bootcamps will be better than others but realistically you will get our whatever you put back in to it.

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Why Group Fitness Works Last 10 Pounds Bootcamp Home Fitness Workouts How to Structure your workout week

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With over 13 million prescriptions written every month, statin drugs, a class of drug used to lower blood cholesterol levels, are the most prescribed drug in the US. Physicians write prescriptions under the misconception that whatever downside statins may have, it is better than having a heart attack. Is this true? Do statin drugs actually prevent the disease they are prescribed for?

ChicagoHealers.com Practitioner Dr. Tom Bayne, D.C. offers the truth about statins and the domino effect these drugs may have on the human body.

Do Statin Drugs Work?

The Truth About How Statins Work

In humans statins block the production of an enzyme that produces cholesterol in the liver. This same enzyme is crucial in the production of Coenzyme Q10, a potent heart antioxidant. CoQ10 is necessary for the production of energy in our muscle tissue especially the heart.

Over time CoQ10 depletion leads to weakened heart strength and congestive heart failure. Hence, the medicine you are taking to save your heart is actually causing weakness and failure of your heart.

Is Cholesterol To Blame?

In order for the pharmaceutical companies to sell 13 million prescriptions for statin drugs per month they needed to point the finger at cholesterol as the cause of heart disease since they could suppress cholesterol with statin drugs and medications. Is cholesterol the problem?

The majority of your cholesterol number is the result of the cholesterol your liver has produced. That is why low cholesterol diets do almost nothing to lower your cholesterol number.

The chief function of cholesterol is not to clog up your arteries. It is the primary component of your cell membranes, and it is crucial to repair damage to your cells.

Inflammatory Disease

More and more research is pointing to the fact that cardiovascular disease is an inflammatory disease. So the inflammation within the arteries is causing the blood to flow slower so it can thicken and clot, and cells are multiplying to ensure that scar tissue lies down.

The only problem is that scar tissue in the arteries is called plaque. It is a lesion that has a high concentration of calcium in it causing the artery to lose its flexibility and develop an aneurysm and eventually rupture as a stroke or torn aeorta.

Cholesterol fits into this process because the chemicals that are produced in response to inflammation are sending signals to the liver to produce more cholesterol so the body can repair the tissues that are being injured due to the inflammatory process.

Recommendations To Sustain Your Health

• Whether you are taking a statin drugs or not, controlling the inflammatory process is the key to controlling your risk of cardiovascular disease. Those on statin medication or whose inflammation is causing stress need to know about Total Omega-3+.
• Total Omega-3+ is an antioxidant infused fish oil that covers all aspects of inflammation in just 2 capsules a day. Its starts with pharmaceutical grade ultra-pure fish oil, the only fish oil that is molecularly distilled 3 times to ensure purity, potency, and freshness. Bioidentical CoQ10 is combined to ensure that all muscle tissue can produce healthy energy levels. Additionally a high dose of vitamin K2-7 is added for which is crucial for optimal circulatory health. A healthy dose of Vitamin D3 provides more cardiovascular and bone protection, and Tocomin SupraBio, a patented vitamin E complex, is added to keep the blood thin and maintain normal arterial flexibility.
• Those on statin drugs and medications should take Total Omega-3+ every day to replenish the CoQ10 that is being robbed from your heart. This will keep your heart healthy while you work to control the inflammatory process that has your liver producing too much cholesterol at this time.

Chicago Healers (www.chicagohealers.com) is the nation’s pioneer prescreened integrative health care network, offering a comprehensive understanding of each practitioner’s services, approach, and philosophy. Our holistic health experts teach and advocate natural and empowered health and life choices through their practices, the media, educational events, and our website.

With close to 200 practitioners and over 300 treatment services, Chicago Healers has provided nearly 400 free educational events for Chicagoans and has been featured in 300+ TV news programs and print publications.

Do you think you need Statin Drugs now?

Was this info on statin drugs informative to you? I was under the impression that statin drugs were a gimme for better health but maybe time to start to look at alternatives.

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2. Study Says Statins Prevent Blood Clots An analysis of research studies has found that people taking statins, which are usually used to treat high cholesterol, are less likely to develop blood clots, either in their veins…
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