The Complete Guide to Exercise
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This serves as a guide to exercising, use the quick links below to read about the different topics covered here.
Precautions
Health Assessment
Medical: Before starting your exercise regime it is advisable that you seek medical clearance first. This is particularly important if you suffer, or have ever suffered from any of the following:
Cardiovascular conditions: For example, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, heart failure, myocardial infarction.
Back conditions: For example, chronic or repetitive back injury, spinal disc injury, pars fracture.
Pregnancy: Currently pregnant or have given birth within the past three months.
Fitness for Life
Embarking upon an exercise regime should be considered a life change – an acceptance that exercise forms part of your normal routine. Research shows that undertaking an exercise regime for a short-term goal invariably fails in the longer term. The body desires life-long health. Good aerobic (cardiovascular) fitness and an acceptable body fat percentage are integral to this.
When starting exercise for the first time or after a prolonged break a number of relatively instant responses occur. Other then the mandatory muscle soreness that comes with using muscles that have been redundant for a while, within the first month you should achieve a number of health and fitness benefits including; improved breathing, more energy, some fat reduction, and an increase in muscle density (which can result in an initial increase in body weight). Survive this and you will be a long way towards good health and a great body.
Never Too Late To Start
No matter what age you are, and assuming that you are medically capable, it is never too late to start exercising. Once you’ve been passed fit to exercise by your doctor, commence your exercise with small, low intensity sessions. There should be no reason why you can’t achieve a good level of fitness regardless of your age. It is however, important to stay within your capabilities.
The programs offered at the back can be easily modified to suit your current physical condition. With the guidance of a health professional, you can achieve a good level of fitness by managing your heart rate and following the basic principles offered in this guide.
Aerobic exercise
The Heart System
The basis for improving fitness is to strengthen the cardiovascular (CV) system. This means that the heart muscle needs to become stronger and the vascular system more healthy. This improves the systems capability for pushing oxygen rich blood around the body with relative ease. Unlike the muscles of the limbs and torso, cardiac muscle only gets stronger through aerobic type exercise (e.g. walking, running, cycling, etc).
Within weeks of starting an exercise regime your CV system should develop the following:
- Increased heart strength
- Lower resting heart-rate
- Increased oxygen carrying capacity, therefore, improving your work capacity
What is Fitness?
Fitness is specific to the targeted body system. For example, weight training will improve the fitness of the skeletal muscles (muscles of the limbs and torso). Training your muscles with yoga or stretching will improve your joint and muscle flexibility. However, to achieve fat reduction, increase your energy, and gain heart strength, it is your body’s aerobic fitness that will need attention (the focus of this guide). For the purposes of this guide, the term fitness refers to aerobic fitness.
The Body's Energy System
Ingested carbohydrate is broken down by the body and stored in the muscle as a source of fuel. A small excess of carbohydrate is stored in the liver as a short term reserve. When aerobic activity occurs, the muscle carbohydrate (known as glycogen) combines with oxygen causing a release of energy for the physical activity.
How Best to Improve Fitness
Often we fail to get fit because we are too impatient. For effective and efficient results you are advised to adopt the 'FIT principle':
- Frequency of exercise
- Intensity of exercise
- Time of exercise (duration)
Frequency. The first habit required is that of exercising regularly. When starting out, it is not how long or hard you exercise but how often. If you exercise for 20 minutes, 3 days per week, not only will it be effective, but you will be more likely to stick with the regime, than if you were to exercise just once per week for 60 minutes.
Intensity. Another key factor is exercise intensity. After the initial improvements that happen in the first month, you may feel that you have reached a plateau, yet want to continue to get fitter. For this to happen you need to increase the workout intensity (the amount of work you are doing per minute). This will require you to gradually increase your effort over several weeks. You can manage your intensity simply by monitoring your heart rate (see 'Your Heart Rate').
Time. The third factor in ensuring an effective and efficient exercise regime is to gradually increase the time of each session to 20 minutes or more. Start with a length of time that you know you can manage easily for the first two weeks; say 10-15 minutes each session. Then add small increments of about 5 minutes to each session each week until you are up to your desired time. If you have difficulty in building an effective routine yourself, use the programs offered in the back of this guide. If you want personalised guidance you may wish to seek the support of a fitness consultant.
Your Heart Rate
The heart beats at a rate dependant upon the oxygen demands of the body, especially when exercising. As muscles work harder, they require more oxygen and the heart rate rises to meet the demand. The larger the muscles the greater the need for oxygen. For example; for swimming, the bigger leg muscles normally require more oxygen than the smaller arm muscles.
The heart has a limitation on how fast it can pump the oxygen - called 'maximum heart rate'. This upper limit is age dependant. See the heart rate chart over.
The following formula will help you determine your maximum heart rate:
220bpm - YOUR AGE (years)
E.g. the maximum theoretical heart rate for a 40 year old is:
220 - 40 = 180bpm (bpm = beats per minute).
Once you have found your maximum heart rate you can determine your aerobic training zone. This is the heart rate range within which you can improve your aerobic fitness. This zone should be 70 - 85 percent of your heart rate. In other words for our 40 year old:
(180bpm x 70%) to (180bpm x 85%) =126bpm to 153bpm
It is not necessary to exercise with maximum effort to get fit. Even top athletes will rarely train at such levels. However, you will find that as you get fitter you will need to work harder to keep your heart rate in the aerobic training zone. A sign you have a well performing heart.
Motivation
The personal habits of people who successfully achieve and maintain their exercise goals are as follows.
- They set realistic goals. E.g. 'To lose 10 kilograms in 10 months.' (one kilogram per month). It is better to understate expectations and achieve with relative ease than to overstate them and just fall short. The feeling of failure can cause a loss of faith.
- They ensure that their environment supports their goals. They rearrange schedules, gain the support of family, and they ensure other events do not, commonly, interfere with their exercise time.
- They develop long lasting habits. They form routines, such as exercising every evening, an hour after dinner. They make exercise a part of their every day life - like brushing their teeth.
- They review and refine their goals regularly. Many will make a daily entry in their diary showing progress (and the occasional failure). They prepare their mind for the next day by visualising how their day will pan out, including their exercise routine.
- They vary their exercise. Although they develop consistent habits, they still spice up their exercise with something different, such as; a change of exercise environment or the type of exercise undertaken.
- They reward themselves regularly. They set future dinner dates, weekends away, a new CD, etc. They tell others about their progress. Many will make a commitment with a significant other person in their lives to help keep them on track. As well as gaining support, this also reinforces their commitment through their pledge to other person.
Nutrition, exercise and weight loss
Key Components of Food
Food comprises of three energy sources; carbohydrates, protein and fat. With no calorific content are vitamins and minerals that help with cell functioning, water, and finally fibre which although carbohydrate passes through the body largely undigested.
Carbohydrates
The main function of carbohydrate is to provide energy for the body. Carbohydrates appear in two forms; complex sugars (e.g. starches) and simple sugars such as table sugar. Complex sugars take time to break down allowing a slow release of sugar into the blood stream.
Simple sugars, however, are absorbed into the blood stream much quicker and can elevate the blood sugar to excessively high levels. Carbohydrate is stored in the muscles and the liver. For active people, about 60-65% of their food volume should be of the carbohydrate form. High carbohydrate foods include: potatoes, pasta, rice, bread, fruit and vegetables.
Fats
Fats are necessary for the protection and insulation of body organs against the external environment. More importantly, fats are a reserve energy source. Fats are not all bad but the amount we ingest is sometimes greater than we need.
Saturated fats (derived from animals, egg yolk and dairy products) have been linked to elevated levels of blood cholesterol and increased incidence of heart disease. Unsaturated fats, found in plant sources, have some effect in reducing the risk of heart disease.
It is the amount of energy available in fat that can cause problems with a sedentary lifestyle. With more than twice the energy concentration of carbohydrate, it can often make it difficult to keep the waistline down. As a guide, the recommended amount of fat for a healthy diet is around 15 percent. The majority of which should be in the form of unsaturated fats.
Protein
Protein is essential for the repair and maintenance of cells in the body, including muscle cells. It is also used as an energy source, particularly if carbohydrate levels are low.
It is recommended that the active person include 20-25 percent protein in their diet. High protein foods include; chicken, turkey, fish, red meats, eggs and milk. You need to be aware that these foods typically contain relatively high amounts of saturated fats and cholesterol. Choose lean meats where possible. Removing the skin before cooking chicken will reduce the fat content.
The Role of Water
Water is essential to nutrition and vital in any weight reduction program. Body weight is made up of about 50 percent water. Water serves many vital functions including; cell activity, transportation of nutrients, gases and waste products, heat stabilisation, and joint lubrication, to name a few.
Water is lost during exercise due to sweating. The volume of sweat is dependant upon the intensity and duration of the exercise and the humidity. It is imperative that water be replaced soon after exercise. When undertaking a weight loss program, a reduction in food will mean that the body is deprived of one of its principle water sources. For this reason you should increase your normal daily water intake. The average person drinks 1.2-1.5 litres of water per day. This may need to increase depending on the amount of exercise performed and any reduction in your normal food intake.
The Role of Vitamins and Minerals
Vitamins are essential to the body's functioning. They facilitate the breakdown of food and the release of energy. Minerals help build strength in bones and teeth, help maintain heart rhythm, control muscle contraction, nerve conduction and the acid-base balance of the body. Vitamins and minerals contain no energy.
The body primarily absorbs its quota of vitamins and minerals from food. When undertaking a weight loss program the eating plan needs to be balanced across all food groups to ensure an adequate intake (see over for the Four Food Group Plan). Fruit and vegetables are rich in many vitamins and minerals, as are eggs, fish and red meat.
Avoiding Hunger
Among other things, hunger can be the result of too little fat in the diet. The stomach takes about 3.5 hours to empty itself of fat. Therefore, some fat in the diet can help delay the onset of hunger.
Water deprivation can also stimulate excessive feelings of hunger as the body craves a water source. The body knows food can meet this need, therefore 'calls out' for food or water. Drinking water regularly can alleviate perceived feelings of hunger.
Eating smaller meals often has been very successful in fat reduction programs. The regular consumption drives off the feelings of binge eating. This requires a higher degree of meal planning which in itself reinforces an effective weight loss strategy.
Optimal Nutrition for Exercise
Meal planning is best done individually. People have different requirements depending on a variety of factors including; their physiology, activity levels, type of job, food likes and dislikes, family meal requirements, budget, availability of food types, and so on.
In planning a diet, consider it firstly from a viewpoint of what nutrients your body must have to function optimally. The Four Food Group Plan should form the foundation for fat reduction and general food planning. This will ensure all the essential nutrients are included in your daily eating.
Note: this is not a diet in itself. Four Food Group Plan:
|
Food Group |
Examples |
Recommended
Daily Servings |
Group 1 |
Milk & Milk Products |
Milk, sour cream, ice cream, cheese, yoghurt |
2 |
Group 2 |
Meat & other Protein sources |
Meat, poultry, fish, eggs with dried beans, peas, nuts |
2 |
Group 3 |
Vegetables & Fruit |
Green vegetables, yellow vegetables. Citrus fruit or tomatoes |
4 |
Group 4 |
Cereals & Grain Foods |
Bread, cereal, flour baked goods or whole grain products |
4 |
The basics of weight loss
Measuring Fat Loss
Finding out how much fat you have lost by standing on the scales should be treated with caution. The amount of weight you have lost (or gained) may not accurately reflect any change in body fat. Scales are merely a trend indicator. Results should only be considered after a week or more of daily readings. Body weight can fluctuate by as much as 1-1.5 kilograms throughout the day, due to dehydration, meal times, toilet times, fluid retention, etc.
In the first 3-4 weeks of a new aerobic exercise regime it is normal to gain lean weight (non-fat weight) due to the increase in muscle tissue and body fluids. These changes allow the body to cope better with the demands of exercise. The increase in body weight can be as much as 1.5 kilograms.
When weighing yourself there are several things you can do to gain an accurate assessment of your weight.
- Weigh yourself at the same time each day.
- Weigh yourself in the same clothes each time, e.g. T-shirt and shorts.
- Use the same scales each time. Ensure they are adjusted accurately and are positioned on a hard surface - not carpet.
- Ensure your weigh-in is consistently after or before a meal.
- Avoid weighing yourself directly after exercise as the variation will be greater due to your exercise duration, your perspiration rate and the humidity level.
- Make no judgement of your progress until you have at least a week or more of readings.
An approximate indicator of body fat loss is to judge how your clothing fits after several weeks. If you want a more accurate indicator visit a fitness consultant or your GP for a body composition assessment.
Aerobic Exercise and Weight Loss
Undertaking an aerobic exercise regime is the most successful long-term method for reducing body fat and maintaining a desired weight. Through aerobic exercise you can burn a lot of calories for a sustained period of time. Larger muscles (e.g. the muscles of the thighs) require more energy to function than smaller muscles (e.g. the muscles of the stomach region). Therefore, you are more likely to burn fat with walking than from doing sit ups. On this point, fat burns from all over the body, not from the point of exercise. Doing sit-ups is not an efficient exercise for burning fat from around the stomach.
The process by which we burn fat through aerobic exercise is simply this. When you exercise, muscles call on the blood supply to provide more oxygen. This allows the muscles to burn fuel and produce work. The carbohydrates that are readily available in the blood stream, and within the active muscles, are the main sources of muscle fuel. When exercising at a high intensity and muscle glycogen levels are low, the body will use its carbohydrate stored in the liver. If the intensity is low, then the body will conserve its carbohydrate reserves and increase the volume of fat energy used.
Fat will burn effectively during long exercise periods when the heart rate is around 50 - 70% of your maximum.
Aerobic activity raises the body's metabolic rate (the rate the body burns energy at rest). A one hour workout can raise the metabolic rate for up to 24 hours.
Weight training, although good for muscle tone, has only a moderate affect on fat reduction. In the case of high resistance and low repetition exercise (10-12 repetitions at a time), the energy expenditure is relatively low. However, when undertaking high repetition resistance exercise (20 plus reps) using low resistance and no or little rest interval (e.g. circuit training); it is possible to achieve an effective aerobic workout and fat reduction at the same time. For circuit training to be effective for fat reduction, ensure your heart rate stays within your fat burning or aerobic training zone throughout.
An additional benefit of resistance training is that the resulting increase in muscle tissue will require the body to utilise more energy on a daily basis - and therefore, burn more calories.
Burning Fat Effectively
To effectively burn fat follow these four simple rules.
- Build up your exercise session to last at least 30 minutes per day (45 minutes is excellent).
- Ensure your heart rate stays in the fat-burning or cardio range for the majority of your exercise session.
- Try and exercise at least 3 days per week, preferably, 4-5 days per week.
- Maintain a balanced diet by firstly, meeting the needs of the Four Food Group Plan. Then supplement your energy requirements from healthy choices. Keep foods that are high in fat, sugar and salt to a minimum. If bingeing is a problem, eat little and often.
Exercise and Your Equipment
Getting the most from your exercise equipment
This section provides background information on features found on all LA Fitness cardio equipment. You will learn how to get the most from your machine. This guide does not teach you how to set programs. For this and other specific operational functions consult your manual.
Your equipment offers a wide range of programs and plenty of functionality for the beginner through to the fitness fanatic. Before launching into the exercise programs offered in this guide, it is important to understand how some key features work.
Heart Rate Monitoring
Monitoring your heart rate is essential for maintaining an effective workout. Take the time to understand your pulse and how it changes in response to exercise. It is normal for your heart rate to rise and fall during exercise. You can manage the intensity of your workout by keeping your heart rate in your aerobic training zone. For an effective aerobic workout keep your heart rate between 70-85 percent of your heart rate maximum.
Modifying your Heart Rate - If your heart rate is too low, increase your exercise rate or increase the resistance
- If your heart rate is too high, decrease your exercise rate or decrease the resistance
- If your heart rate takes a long time to return to normal after exercising (5-10 minutes) then your body is not getting a chance to recover in between workouts and you should reduce the number of sessions you do per week until your fitness increases
Your heart rate (and therefore your percentage of maximum heart rate) is determined by the following two things:
Exercise Rate – KM/HR (Treadmills), RPM (Bikes and Crosstrainers), Strokes/Min (Rowers)
It is important to find a speed/RPM that feels comfortable. When used in conjunction with the heart rate monitor you will be able to keep your body working in the correct training zone. If you are starting out on any piece of equipment for the first time, spend your first week getting familiar with the most comfortable exercise rate before you get too carried away with the resistance/incline.
Resistance - Incline (Treadmills), Resistance Level (Bikes, Rowers, Crosstrainers)
Once you have mastered the exercise rate, experiment with changing the resistance during a workout. Modify this resistance manually to ensure full control. If you are just beginning your exercise regime, experiment with just the lower levels. It is best you warm up with minimal resistance to allow the aerobic system to become fully functional and to allow your muscles to become pliable for the exercise.
Warm Up
Prior to commencing your exercise it is advisable that you warm up the muscle groups you intend to use, in the following manner:
- Start with 5 minutes of low intensity exercise, then pause
- Stretch the key muscles, e.g. the calves, thighs, hamstrings, shoulders and arms. Hold each stretch for 15-20 seconds and stretch each muscle group 2-3 times each.
- Re-start your exercise routine building up your speed over the next 5 minutes
During your warm up (the first 10 minutes) keep the resistance low to allow time for your cardiovascular and muscle systems to start functioning effectively.
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