Have More FUN
Day 3: Exercise
*What activities do you LOVE to do indoors and outdoors?
INDOORS:
OUTDOORS:
Amazing! Whether you love to dance, go for long walks or weight train, embrace the fact that exercise doesn’t have to mean being a professional athlete!
However, when we factor in limited time, finances and specific fitness objectives there are more efficient ways to reach your goals.
Decide whether your goals are time-sensitive or can be achieved with long-term daily habit changes. There are 3 main categories to fitness:
- Fat loss and muscle gain (resistance and weight training, heavy lifting)
- Maintenance and preventative health (sports, group classes, weight training)
- Stress management (walking, cardio, group classes, sports, weight training, heavy lifting)
All 3 programs may be applicable at some point in your life, depending on your situation and health goals.
For example, if you are obese, with diabetes and a heart condition, a more focused and specific fat loss/ muscle gain routine for a period of time will be necessary. Once you’ve reached your fitness goal and lowered your morbidity and mortality risk factors, then you can move on to a maintenance program or work towards gaining more muscle.
*Which category applies to you? If you have a time-sensitive goal, what is it and is it realistic given your life situation?
TODAY, take on one of “Today’s Challenges”. Once you make a choice, write it down on a piece of paper and keep that paper in your pocket all day as a reminder.
I’ve also included an optional “Bonus Challenge” if you’re feeling especially motivated today.
Today’s Challenge:
Pick one of the following challenges to take on today, check it off once you’ve accomplished it.
- [ ] Invite a friend to participate in an activity you love
- [ ] Try an outdoor activity for 20 minutes
- [ ] Work with a personal trainer to safely learn the basic movement patterns (ie. squat, lunge, deadlift, push-up, row, chin-up)
- [ ] Join a dance or fitness class and get in touch with your sexy body
- [ ] Park in the last parking spot, avoid escaladers, and take the stairs
- [ ] Start a spontaneous dance party in the office, outside or in the privacy of home. Crank up the tunes and just move.
- [ ] Download sample workouts through the “Strong & Sexy in 6” program
Bonus Challenge (optional): Interval Training
Interval training burns more fat in a shorter period of time than steady state cardio. So give it a try this week.
Whatever activities you choose, push yourself hard for 1-5 minutes (heart rate >140 bpm and out of breath), followed by a short rest period (heart rate ~130 bpm able to carry a conversation). Continue this cycle for a total of 20 minutes or more. Feel free to switch up the exercises to target different muscle groups.
For example,
- do as many full push-ups as you can then drop to your knees and keep going until you are exhausted.
- Rest for a moment then stand up and do body weight squats for as long as you can.
- When you’ve pushed till you can’t do anymore take a rest, then move on to mountain climbers.
- Continue to change exercises or perform a small circuit until you’ve completed a full 20 minutes of activities.
OR…
If you’re more of a steady-state cardio fan, try the same philosophy alternating with the speed, resistance or incline of the cardio activity.
For example, a 20-minute interval training session on a treadmill would look something like this:
- Start at your low intensity for a 4-minute warm up (ie. walking at a high incline- heavy breathing but able to carry a conversation)
- High intensity for 5 minutes (ie. running at a lower incline- very difficult and unable to carry a conversation)
- Low intensity for 1 minute
- High intensity for 4 minutes
- Low intensity for 1 minute
- High intensity for 5 minutes
Always end your interval training with a cool down period before stretching or moving on to your weight training routine.
Notice the rest periods are 1 minute at a low intensity and the high intensity durations are longer (5:4:5 minutes). Write down your resistance, incline and/or speed to keep track of your improvements.
*Read more exercise regiments at www.DrAlisonChen.com/exercise
Have you been filling out your Diet and Lifestyle Diary?
Flip back to Day 1 and make sure you track at least 2 weekdays and 1 weekend. Notice any patterns so far?
