Fitness, Personal Training, Health and Weight Loss Blog

Archive for the ‘Cardiovascular’ Category

This is my lunch of leftovers from last night’s dinner.  It was very easy to make. I stirred together fajitas, boiled water and added rice, steamed asparagus, and opened a can of black beans and tossed some frozen corn in then microwaved.

Fajitas (no tortilla) made with 3 cubed chicken breast halves, 1 large sliced onion and 2 sliced red peppers with an envelope of Fajita seasoning and water.

TruRoots Sprouted Rice & Quinoa Blend. (Brown rice, red rice, wild rice and quinoa) from Costco

Trader Joe’s Roasted Corn (frozen product) that I added to a can of black beans.

Asparagus

The virtues of this meal:

High protein from the chicken, and mix of whole grain rice, quinoa, black beans and corn.

All carbohydrates are nutritious whole grains and beans.

High volume: This is very filling but relatively low calorie.

Many antioxidant* rich foods: asparagus, corn, red pepper, black bean, onion, quinoa.

High fiber from all the whole grains and vegetables.

And it is really delicious. I’m happy that all I had to do today for lunch was reheat in the microwave.

*Antioxidants protect your cells against the effects of free radicals. Free radicals are molecules produced when your body breaks down food, or by environmental exposures like tobacco smoke and radiation. Free radicals can damage cells, and may play a role in heart disease, cancer and other diseases.

The American College of Sports medicine recommends 2000 calories of exercise per week for successful weight loss. To improve health the target is 1000 calories per week.

Research shows that high-intensity interval training is superior to aerobic exercise for fat loss and improving fitness. Performing intervals can increase your aerobic fitness, since it trains your muscles to work harder and produce energy faster so that means you’ll be able to run faster and longer. Perform the following workout one or two times per week, in addition to your regular training.

Exercise intensity can be measured via heart rate. The target zones for this workout can be calculated by subtracting your age from 220 then multiplying x .85 and by .65.

For a 50 year old 220-50=170. 170 x .65= 110  170 x .85= 144

Beginner Interval Workout

Work = 15 seconds 85%     Recovery= 45 seconds 65%

Advanced Interval Workout

If you are a healthy, experienced exerciser:

4 minutes at 85% of your maximum predicted heart rate (220-age)

2 minutes 70% of your maximum predicted heart rate (220-age)

Repeat 5 times.

In a study, training increased VO2 max by 13% and skyrocketed whole body fat burning by 36%. And this is only after 7 interval training workouts over a 2 week period.

Talanian, J. (2006). Two weeks of high-intensity aerobic interval training increases the capacity for fat oxidation during exercise in women. Journal of Applied Physiology, 102: 1439-1447.

*As always, check with your doctor before starting an exercise plan even if you believe you are healthy. The American College Of Sports Medicine says that women 55 or older and men 45 or older should check with a doctor before taking on vigorous exercise. Anyone who smokes or has recently quit smoking, or those suffering from high cholesterol, diabetes, chronic conditions or high blood pressure should also consult a physician prior to exercise. Others who may benefit from a physician’s exam and advice would be people who are overweight or people with a family history of heart disease prior to the age of 55.

A study in Mental Health and Physical Activity (2011; 4 [2], 65-69 suggests that people who exercise at least 150 minutes a week reported 65% better sleep quality. They also said they fell asleep faster and had less daytime tiredness.

The best way to improve your fitness and see your results is to train at the right intensity. A heart rate monitor is easiest and the most accurate way to measure exercise intensity so that you know when to safely push harder and when to slow down. It provides a simple, yet highly accurate gauge for getting the most from your exercise sessions. Using a heart rate monitor will motivate you with measurable fitness results and make exercise safer and help you achieve your personal fitness goals faster.

The Polar Heart Rate monitors are the best on the market. They are amongst the most accurate, easy to use, comfortable and reliable monitors on the market while being reasonably priced.
The model I recommend to my clients is the FT4. It offers useful basic features and it has sporty good looks and has a price tag that anyone can afford, not just pro athletes.

The FTF4 features a big display to display heart rate, maximum heart rate, exercise time, time in target zone, and time of day. It calculates your target heart zone to help you train safely and effectively. It has a stop watch feature and an alarm with snooze function. The audible and visual alarm features are there to remind you when you have moved out of your zone.

It keeps a record of up to 10 training workouts. So this is a great way for you to keep track of your progress. The FT4 keeps track of calories burned during a session and cumulatively over time, maximum heart rate, exercise time, time in target zone and many others by doing automatic calculations.

The FT4 has a coded heart rate transmission so that it doesn’t interfere with other heart rate monitors that are near you.

It’s water resistant so you can wear it with confidence when you swim or get caught in the rain.

One of the convenient new capabilities is that you can change the battery yourself. Previously a battery change required a trained technician.

The Polar FT4 heart rate monitor is a great tool for athletes that are looking to train and analyze progress over time and those who want basic heart rate-based features to keep their fitness training simple.