1. Sort out your CV
Three ways to raise your heart rate
It’s week two; you’re feeling better already, but perhaps fretting about how you’re supposed to fit more sport into your life. No worries. Just up the intensity, rather than the duration of your cardiovascular activities this week. This will allow you sneakily to burn more calories in less time. The biggest step this week is starting to jog. When running, forces applied to the limbs can be in excess of 6x bodyweight, as opposed to 2x bodyweight when walking. This means you have to be ready to cope with the impact of this extra force. A simple test to check is to stand on one leg with arms spread at shoulder height as if you were on a crucifix. Your other leg should be bent 90 degrees at the knee, with the shin parallel to the floor. If you can’t hold this position for 30 seconds you’re not ready to jog, and should work on last week’s squats and keep practising. Whether or not you jog, do a combination of the below at least every other day this week.
Got stairs?
A great way to get in shape. Whether you walk, run or sprint – get to the top as quickly as you can. Once at the top, walk back down, then repeat. Do five climbs (more if you don’t have many stairs), then rest for 60 seconds. Repeat five times or more, aiming to be active for 20 minutes.
Start jogging
Don’t bite off more than you can chew. Be active for at least 20 minutes, trying to run as much as you can. If you’re a beginner, start with one minute running, one minute walking, then build it up. Record minutes run and minutes walked. Aim to eliminate as much of the walking as possible. Aim this week: to jog for 10 minutes continuously.
Swimming – vary strokes
Stick to a minimum of two 10-minute swims with a three minute rest between, keeping count of lengths completed. If you can, vary your strokes so that you hit your muscles from different angles, which will help to tone you up in double time.
Don’t fancy the above? Do 30 mins of ice skating, badminton or even DIY. All these can burn 200kcals in that time.
2. Tone it
The press-up
This is great for toning up the back of the arms and chest, as well as using the pecs, triceps and core muscles. If the standard press-up is too easy, try the press-up and twist. Try to do three sets of 12-20 reps, with a 30-second rest, three to five times a week. Combine with last week’s exercise by doing one set of squats, rest 30 seconds, then one set of press-ups, then repeat three times.
Press-up on knees (beginner)
1) Start lying flat on the floor. Cross legs at the ankle and push yourself up into start position. Aim to have a straight line between head, shoulders, hips and knees.
2) Lower yourself to the ground slowly, breathing in. If you feel unable to lower fully and push back up, just hold still as low as you can for 20 seconds.
3) Exhale and push up (count of one) returning to the start position.
Press-up (intermediate)
Same as above, just on toes instead of knees.
Press-up and twist (advanced)
Try this if you find the standard press-up easy. Add the twist as shown in pic 2 at the top of the movement; lower, then repeat on the other side for the next rep.
3. In seven days’ time …
You should start to notice a few things. If you’ve been recording your resting heart rate, it may have started to drop. This shows your heart is becoming more efficient: you are getting fitter. Energy levels after exercise should be up and you should be noticing an ability to do more than you could previously, such as walking up the stairs without wheezing or finding that bending down is no longer a chore. This week, also try to:
Cut down on the white flour
Wheat, especially refined varieties, turns to sugar very quickly compared with most other grains. This is bad when trying to get in shape, as it will cause your energy to peak and then dip, leaving you unsatisfied and hungry. Avoid white bread, wheat-based cereals and pretty much anything made with white flour. Go for rye bread, wholemeal pittas and wholemeal pasta, and bran-based cereals.
Have no more than two caffeinated drinks a day
Caffeine is a drug. It gives you a peak and once it wears off you will need another fix, whether you feel like some sugar or another tea or coffee. This being the case it can lead to over-eating. Some healthy low- or non-caffeine alternatives to tea and coffee include peppermint tea, Red Bush and green tea.
· Matthew Robinson is a qualified personal trainer
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