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Many fitness instructors and personal trainers recommend the typical low to moderate intensity aerobic or 'cardio' training as the best type of workout to people who are trying to lose weight or become healthier. You would have heard this or read it about it plenty of times over the last couple of decades. Here is how it would go: Perform 30 to 60 minutes of 'cardio' exercise 3 to 5 times per week. Perform this cardio activity in your "fat burning" zone of 60 - 70% of your maximum heart rate. We understand now that our bodies are not designed to do endless amounts of steady state work and instead are built for short bursts of activity followed by short recovery periods. Many competitive sports are designed this way, basketball, hockey, soccer, football to name a few. Recent research is revealing that too much of this type of activity such as low to moderate intensity activity such as jogging, cycling or cardio exercise equipment is believed to increase free radical production in the body (causing rapid aging), can degenerate joints, reduce immune function, causes muscle wasting, causes fat storage and can cause a pro-inflammatory response in the body that can potentially lead to many 'chronic' diseases. It has now been proven that when you perform long period of activity at a low to medium intensity, (the kind that doctors recommend as the path to good health) it makes for smaller muscles, smaller hearts and smaller lungs. Downsizing the muscles and other organs is not a recipe for good health. This type of activity will not make you lean, it will not protect you from heart disease and it will not even boost your energy. Even worse, do enough long, slow, steady state activity and it will make you tired, sick and old before your time. The new and more effective way to go about 'cardio' training is to perform high intensity interval training to help you get healthy, fit and burn fat faster than any old fashioned steady state activity ever could. This type of workout has been shown to increase anti-oxidant production in the body, while also boosting your metabolic rate something that long slow endurance type of activity can never do. Your interval training workouts can have many variations but an easy way to get started is to perform 10-15 seconds of an activity (say sprinting) alternated with 30-60 seconds of walking. Repeat these intervals 8-12 times, two or three times each week for the ultimate fitness improving, fat burning, anti aging boost. But to really get into great shape it is best to combine your interval training with a strength training program to reshape your body and further boost your metabolism. To support both types of activity you need to eat properly so you have the strength and energy to do justice to your exercise program. Then all you need for the ultimate 'get into better shape' program is the third component. What's that you say? It is your mindset. It is imperative to have the proper mindset if you are going to burn body fat effectively and keep it off long term. Not having the proper mindset is the biggest reason most people don't reach their fitness and fat loss goals or, the wrong mindset keeps them from even getting started in the first place. Repeat these words over to yourself - training -nutrition - mindset. When these three things are in place, you are unstoppable.
Do you want to discover the secret to rejuvenating your body and improving the quality of your life? Download my free ebook "Ive Found the Fountain of Youth- Let Me Show You Too!" here: Secrets To Longevity For Free Fitness Report here Fitness Weight Loss Carolyn Hansen is a certified fitness expert and fitness center owner who coaches clients to look and feel younger.
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